Meet Maggie's Cancer Centre, Fife

Maggie’s Cancer Centre, Fife is a centre based at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy offering free practical, social and emotional support to people with cancer and their loved ones.

The big idea

Developing a course for men with prostate cancer designed to improve their understanding of their treatment options and the management of side effects as well as providing them access to more peer and specialist support.

Making it happen

Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Fife, with support from NHS Fife, created an eight week course for men with prostate cancer consisting of information evenings and workshops and covering topics such as exercise and healthy living with specialist facilitators including urology nurse specialists and clinical psychologists.

Finding out what works

The course was evaluated using a distress thermometer and impact of cancer scale, two validated measures for assessing psychological distress in people affected by cancer.  The programme supported improvements in the physical and emotional wellbeing of participants, and knowledge and confidence in managing side effects. As a result of the course:

  • over 50% of attendees said they have better control over emotional responses to their cancer
  • 70% said they had better control over the side effects of their cancer and its treatment; and
  • 70% said they had more control over the right kind of follow up care or treatment available for them

The collaboration between Prostate Cancer UK, Maggie’s Fife and NHS Fife was crucial to the programme’s success. Not only did the programme meet priorities identified by NHS Fife for survivorship support for prostate cancer patients, it also ensured participants had access to a range of relevant skills and expertise of health professionals though their contributions to the programme, and it was helpful for reaching men at different stages of their prostate cancer journey.

Very beneficial in obtaining more information and contacts including for follow up in subjects such as exercise, and identifying equipment for helping with side effects.
Course participant

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