News Updates
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SPRING 2019
In our first year without any financial support from Macmillan we have been fortunate to receive a grant from a charitable trust and a significant legacy. Nonetheless the need to acquire further financial support remains.
Aside from fundraising, our safety project has been a priority in recent months. With the assistance of our current partner, South Central Ambulance Service, we will extend the project to other areas later this year.
Another priority for 2019 is to increase the number of hospital trusts using our services.
WINTER 2018/19
EGM
There will be a short EGM before the General Committee in January. This is needed to amend the constitution to enable the AGM to be held in early June instead of May, St Peters is not available on any Monday in May, partly due to the Bank Holidays.
AUTUMN 2018
HPV VACCINATION FOR BOYS
The campaign which NALC has supported to secure vaccination for boys as well as girls succeeded in the summer. However, the Department for Health are not prepared to arrange a catch-up programme for all boys currently in secondary school. Also there is still no start date for the introduction of "jabs for the boys" unlike Ireland which makes a start in January. Our campaign has some work to do yet.
RESEARCH
NALC has been involved in a research study, De-ESCALaTE, led by Professor Hisham Mehanna of Birmingham University. It aimed investigate if the drug cetuximab was more effective in treating HPV-related throat cancer than cisplatin, the current standard care. The results were published in The Lancet and showed cetuximab was less effective than cisplatin. Patient representatives have written a summary of the results which are being shared with all the study participants.
THIRD INTERNATIONAL HEAD AND NECK CONFERENCE
The conference, organised by Chris Curtis of The Swallows, took place in Nottingham in November. NALC had a stand on both days, the first for clinicians and the second for patients and carers. Members of NALC's Chesterfield club attended what turned out to be an enjoyable and rewarding patient day.
SUMMER 2018
Look out for World Head and Neck Awareness Day July 27
HPV VACCINATION
As a member of HPV Action, NALC has been supporting the campaign for equal vaccination. A decision from the relevant committee (JCVI) is expected in late July. This time there are grounds for real optimism that the programme will be extended to boys. If so we need to campaign to get parents to take up the opportunity to protect their sons, if not the fight goes on.
SAFETY CAMPAIGN
Following reports from NHS England of two recent laryngectomee fatalities through inappropriate care, NALC is working on a new initiative. Tony Hudson is taking the lead working with South Central Ambulance Service and Community First Responders to get NALC involved in the training of staff around the area of the needs of neckbreathers. If successful we aim to extend the model to other areas.
AUTUMN 2017
The full report can be found here.
NALC Vice-President, Tony Smith, was part of the group that produced the NICE guidelines and President, Malcolm Babb, was a member of the Quality Standards committee.
The Swallows
Led by Chris Curtis, the Swallows is a support group for head and neck cancer patients. It is based in Blackpool but its reach is far wider than that.
NALC looks forward to working with The Swallows to help achieve our shared goals. Chris has worked with partners in the USA, Australia and elsewhere to launch the first worldwide Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Day on July 27th 2017.
Research Update - late 2016
The new treatment of immunotherapy offers much promise for providing more success than conventional treatments but also fewer side effects. So far, for head and neck cancer, it is only used in clinical trials. NALC has been asked to support a project to extend its use and if this secures the necessary funding we will be contributing for some years. NALC is also supporting a project to identify best practice for supporting patients to overcome or cope with the long-term effects of the treatment they have received.
In 2016, members of NALC’s clubs assisted a research study by Lizz Summers, an SLT from Cambridge. The project successfully recruited sufficient patients and the findings, about experiences of using valve speech, will be published in the next edition of CLAN.
Quality Standards
NALC President, Malcolm Babb, is a lay member of the NICE Quality Standards Advisory Committee for head and neck cancer.
Swimming update
NALC is pleased to support a new project to assist laryngectomees wishing to return to swimming. The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust have introduced a programme to train patients to learn to swim again using a device called an aquather. They can also assist by providing training for professionals who wish to introduce a similar service in their own area.
NALC is now aware of another location, Northampton, which along with Exeter offers training to laryngectomees wishing to return to swimming.
