APPENDIX 55
Letter to the Clerk of the Committee from
Ms Karen Meehan, Derry Well Woman
Thank you for your recently received invitation
to present oral evidence on cancer research. Unfortunately Derry
Well Woman is unable to send anyone to make a presentation, however
we would be delighted if you would consider the implications of
the enclosed material in your deliberations.
Derry Well Woman is a health centre for women
it is our business to develop health programmes relevant to women
living in the North West of Ireland.
In response to demand we have developed a considerable
body of work around cancer which included:
(iii) Two day cancer programme (based on
Bristol programme)
(iv) The Well Programme—a holistic
healing programme for anyone living with a chronic or life threatening
illness.
One of the most significant aspects of our work
was the development of a cancer charter—which outlined nine
basic rights in terms of care for people living with a cancer
diagnosis.
In developing the charter we worked with the
Derry Well Woman cancer support group—a group of approximately
20 women aged between 35-75 years.
While the methodology employed in developing
the charter could hardly be termed scientific there was strong
anecdotal evidence from the women that the issues outlined in
the charter were indeed those on which more work, in terms of
care and research, was needed.
In June 1998 Derry Well Woman won a Charter
Mark for its work on cancer—I have enclosed a copy of the
report from the charter mark presentation for your information[26].
If you wish to discuss any aspect of this work
further please contact me at your convenience.
25 May 2000
26 See Annex. Back
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