Nursing professionals living with cancer are at risk of undergoing financial hardship, according to the Cavell Nurses’ Trust.
According to the Trust, 14% of requests for help came from nurses who were experiencing cancer. The Trust provides for nursing professionals who experience personal or financial hardship, for reasons such as disability, domestic abuse and illnesses such as cancer.
‘It’s trying to find extra money for new clothing due to weight-loss from cancer treatment, higher heating bills as patients feel the cold more and spend more time at home and increased travel costs for attending regular hospital consultations,’ said Alison Parsons, Welfare Services Manager at the charity. 'It all adds up and is compounded by nurses reducing their hours or stopping work altogether if they are too ill to work.’
The Trust also cited recent research from Macmillan Cancer Support shows that in the last year over a third of people diagnosed with cancer had no idea the disease would affect them financially. The findings also showed that the cost of cancer is on average £570 per month more for 80% of cancer patients. One nurse helped by the Cavell Nurses' Trust said: 'It felt like I was in a battle with the cancer, fighting with it. I was so scared of both the treatment and the side effects.'