What is Headstart?

Headstart is a support group for head and neck cancer patients and their carers, families and friends.

 

What is Headstart hoping to achieve?

Headstart provides an environment for people to come along and share experiences, meetings are held every two months. We have talks from professionals and patients on different topics; for example, a patient's experience of having had head and neck cancer, complementary therapy, eating and drinking issues, what is currently happening in the Cancer Network pertinent to head and neck cancer.

We provide refreshments at our meetings, which are held at Maidstone Oncology Centre, Queen Victoria Hospital in the Maud Barclay Room, and the Post Grad Centre in Medway Hospital.

When was Headstart formed, and by whom?

Headstart was formed in November 1997 by Jo Kerr, Macmillan Head and Neck CNS, Maxillofacial Unit, who works at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in East Grinstead, West Sussex along with her colleague Brooke Quinteros, Specialist Adult Speech and Language Therapist.

The following year Debbie Collins, a Macmillan Radiotherapy Specialist and Jayne Goddard, Staff Nurse in the head and neck outpatient clinic agreed to facilitate meetings in the Oncology Unit on Saturdays.  This has proved to be extremely beneficial to patients and their families, providing another venue for patients, families and friends to go to.

Just about the time Debbie Collins retired, around 2007/8, Medway Hospital integated fully into the existing Queen Victoria and Maidstone hospital support network, and a new dynamic specialist nurse from the Medway hospial, Debbie Hannant joined the team. Another highly committed specialist nurse one Pauline Mortimer replaced Jo Kerr when she moved to the Brighton hospital.

Our other Debbie keeps coming back for more, for example in 2010 Debbie helped to co-ordinate an Acupunture study on patients suffering from Xerostomia or Dry Mouth Syndrome after radio/chemotherapy. The results of this have not yet been published. Debbie's replacement in Maidstone is Jaimee Murrell, who is also on the Organising Committee, click here to see more information.

What does Headstart do?

Through the regular meetings and network of contacts from within both the nursing and support staff and former patients and carers, Headstart provides an informal support network for all those touched by head and neck cancer in the region.

In addition, we aim to buy equipment to help head and neck cancer patients, their families and carers.
Some of the items financed so far include: the purchase of cancerbackup booklets, travel costs to the support group for those unable to find transport, refreshments for the support group, Tricia Feber head and neck cancer nursing books for hospital libraries within our Cancer Network and for ward areas, communication aids, a Doppler to monitor flaps after surgery, two tracheostomy trolleys for ward areas, and tracheostomy blue boxes for ward areas for patients.

The specialist Speech & Language Therapist is delighted and most grateful to be able to buy two special Voice Amplifiers for in-patient use and for demonstration and trialling on out –patients who suffer permanent or temporary voice weakness and/or loss. A special Eye-Pointing Frame will prove invaluable for aiding communication for tracheotomised patients on the intensive care unit.

A special computer software programme of pictures needed to personalise communication aides will be an added boon to improving the quality of speech aides for patients.

Donations

Donations enable us to provide resources, vital medical equipment and to meet the needs of patients and their families and carers for their future well-being. Please send your donations to;

Debbie Hannant, Richard Watts Unit, Medway Maritime Hostpital, Windmill Road, Gillingham, KENT ME 7 5NY.

PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO HEADSTART

 

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A friend and ex-colleague of mineMike Hext with announced that he would donate all sales of his records from his website to Headstart. Before you think of the riches of the Elton John's and others like him, this is on a much more modest scale. I have personally thanked Mike for his generosity, and to find out about our donor, go to Mike Hext to see what he is up to in the music business. I am really hoping he might come and play for us sometime in one of our gatherings.

The total raised my Mike so far is £90.00

 

If you would like to make a donation, big or small please contact us at our email address below.