Macmillan Caring Locally (formerly The Macmillan Cancer Trust) is a British registered charity (no. 268218), which was formed in 1974 to support a palliative care

Palliative care

Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...

 unit at Christchurch Hospital

Christchurch Hospital, Dorset

Christchurch Hospital is part of The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.-Location:The hospital is located in Fairmile in Christchurch, Dorset, UK. It is served by bus routes operated by Wilts & Dorset, Transdev Yellow Buses and Shamrock Buses.-History:The buildings...

 in Christchurch

Christchurch, Dorset

Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...

, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, southern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It now also operates Albany Lodge, a hotel in Bournemouth

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...

 for cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 patients and carers, and supports a range of posts and services for cancer diagnosis and treatment at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital

Royal Bournemouth Hospital

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is an acute general hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK. It has 692 beds and is part of The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.-Location:...

.

History

The trust evolved from the fund-raising committee for the building of the first Macmillan unit in the country at Christchurch Hospital. This committee included amongst its members representatives from the League of Friends at the Royal Victoria Hospital (now closed and incorporated into the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital) and the local branch of the National Society for Cancer Relief (now Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....

).

During the final stages of building, it was decided to form a trust

Charitable trust

A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...

 to be identified with the unit and it was registered as a charity on 25 July 1974.

It was re-branded in 2009 as Macmillan Caring Locally, reducing the scope for confusion with the UK national cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....

.

Services

The aims of the trust are to support those who are suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases where no cure is expected, and to provide help and support for family members. Latterly the trust has aided services which provide early diagnosis of cancers with a view to enabling early treatment and, ideally, recovery.

The trust's total expenditure on charitable activities in 2009 was £1.2 million, responding to a wide variety of needs supporting the NHS

National Health Service

The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...

, primarily for the Macmillan Unit, but also for other cancer sufferers in south east Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

 and west Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

.

External links

• Macmillan Caring Locally, official website
• Macmillan Unit, Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospitals
• Albany Lodge