The Sussex Cancer Fund was established in 1981 to work with the NHS to create new and improved facilities providing the best possible cancer care for Sussex. Since then, £3 million has been raised to make the Sussex Cancer Centre more attractive, comfortable and effective. Unlike many charities, costs are exceptionally low with only a very small percentage spent on administration, almost all money donated to us can be spent directly to benefit our patients. Unfortunately one in three of us in Sussex will develop cancer, which means that everyone is ultimately affected by it, and anyone who receives oncology treatment at the RSCH will benefit from something the charity has done or paid for. Our patients come from all over Sussex, from Rye to Chichester and up to Crawley. The Sussex Cancer Fund pays for a range of services and equipment for our patients. These include day-to-day ‘extras’ that make a difficult and stressful experience a little more civilised – the subsidised car park specifically for cancer patients, complementary therapy, free vending machines providing hot fresh drinks for patients, newspapers, magazines, a DVD library for chemotherapy patients and the like. We also pay for equipment, from specialist gowns for breast cancer patients costing £10 but which make a big difference to patients’ experiences, right through to medical equipment costing many thousands. We have also funded the systematic refurbishment of the Sussex Cancer Centre, including building the new chemotherapy suite, and more recently, the patient lounge, reception and garden creating a greatly improved environment for patients. The charity’s most ambitious project is the Macmillan Horizon Centre which we have built in partnership with Macmillan. It is a holistic service away from the clinical environment, providing patients with a range of support and services throughout their cancer treatment. These include financial/benefits advice, counselling, wig services, complementary therapy and the opportunity to meet with support groups.
