Latest news

A-Plan Insurance – Charity of the Year

October 10, 2019 by pelicanadmin

A-Plan Insurance: A-Plan Basingstoke Commercial Team selected us as their charity of the year in 2019 and have been very busy with an array of fundraising activities for Pelican Cancer Foundation!

Three members of staff held a sponsored golf day which involved 4 rounds of golf, one after the other, and an incredible 18.4 miles of walking over 14 hour time period. For this event, they raised over £500.00. They also held a sponsored gaming event that lasted 12 hours and raised £100.

In addition – the Commercial Team at A-Plan completed the Supernova 5k – Bournemouth Marathon Festival on 5th October, which has so far raised over £400 for us.

We’re really looking forward to working with A Plan over the next year and thank them for all their hard work so far!

Pelican IMPACT travels to London for our ninth workshop

July 15, 2019 by pelicanadmin

On Friday 12th July, Pelican Cancer Foundation staff, faculty and delegates convened for our ninth Pelican IMPACT workshop in London. Comprising of 122 colorectal specialists from 14 hospitals, our one day programme comprised of 10 sessions that were delivered by 26 specialists from 11 different hospitals.

Individual patient discussion to deliver the best possible care

Our innovative national development programme brings together these multi-disciplinary specialists who are treating patients affected by advanced colorectal cancer, to discuss the treatment pathway and complex areas through case examples. With the focus on patients, our aim through Pelican IMPACT is to concentrate on the outstanding care that is given – in order to make it even better.

Our session on ‘colorectal lung metastases’ presented by Mr. John Pilling, (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust), focused on the treatment of bowel cancer spread to the lung.

Mr. Pilling and a panel of different specialists presented a complex patient case in an open discussion with the audience, challenging the treatment options and pathway of care. Medical history (information) and scans provided a basis for the in-depth and lengthy discussion regarding patient management and treatment options between different specialists and hospital teams.

Decision making for each individual patient is intricate and complicated, and this discussion highlighted the breadth of expertise available within the region. It reiterated the necessity of multidisciplinary team involvement and for some cases, knowledge of other specialists in the region to refer to in order to ensure the best treatment for the patient.

We are thrilled with the outstanding feedback we’ve received from the day overall (as with the previous eight regional workshops) – reflecting the exceptional standard of learning on the day, delivered by a team offering a diverse range of talent.

One delegate commented: “Increased discussion of possible outcomes at beginning of patient journey – bad and good”. Another said the day was: “very well thought out…. powerful patient perspective videos…”

The more informed a patient is, the more they can make informed decisions about their treatment.

We’re looking forward to continuing our series of workshops with our next IMPACT meeting due to take place in Taunton on 13th September.

Pelican’s pioneering prostate cancer programme launched in Manchester

March 5, 2019 by pelicanadmin

Urology teams in Manchester are at the forefront of a national development programme to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and are being helped by Pelican Cancer Foundation.

The first “Transformation in the Prostate Cancer Pathway: Teamwork for Patients” (TIPTOP) workshop was held in Manchester in February 2019.

After supporting prostate cancer research for the last 16 years, the Pelican team led by Consultant Urological Surgeon Mr Satish Maddineni presented the latest findings and recommendations around the UK to help patients achieve a timely and accurate diagnosis and further treatment.

The day-long presentations for regional prostate cancer teams (MDTs) – including urologists, radiologists, clinical nurse specialists, pathologists, oncologists,radiographers and cancer managers – were designed to raise awareness of how the diagnosis of prostate cancer is rapidly changing. For example, the introduction of MRI scans before taking a biopsy with the subsequent reduction in the number of patients requiring biopsies and therefore improving the accuracy of the biopsies themselves. The programme also outlined how patients should get their diagnosis much faster – ideally within 14 days; and the increase in treatment options.

The inaugural TIPTOP workshop, held at The LifeCentre in Sale, considered the best way forward, for both logistics and clinical developments. In addition to the presentations from medical experts and discussions, the MDT members from 12 hospitals in the Manchester area had the opportunity to network, meet colleagues and representatives from the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance including Professor David Shackley, Medical Director for GM Cancer.

One of the delegates from The Christie Hospital commented afterwards: “Everybody went away enthused and I look forward to progress being made in the North West.”

Another prostate cancer specialist said: “It was extremely interesting. As a result, I will work with urology experts and radiologists to improve access to MRI scanning and improve any time constraints.”

Prostate cancer survival is improving and has tripled in the last 40 years, however it remains the second most common cause of male cancer death with in the UK, with more than 47,200 new cases in 2015.

Mr Maddineni, consultant urologist at Salford Royal, said: “Pelican is very pleased and proud to bring the TIPTOP programme to prostate cancer teams around the country. It aims to raise awareness and give an improved understanding of the optimal diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer which they can then incorporate into their own practices.”

“The recent developments in imaging and prostate cancer diagnostic techniques, coupled with the arrival of new technologies that can destroy areas of cancer in the prostate, have enabled many men to enjoy a good quality of life after treatment.”

Pelican’s Chief Executive Sarah Crane said: “Pelican Cancer Foundation’s groundbreaking new programme will work with cancer specialists to adopt changes in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, with the aim of reducing the number of men who are diagnosed every year, and improving treatment for those who are.

“Our free workshops in Britain and Ireland are designed to help these specialist cancer teams treat patients for the best possible outcome. The programme will not only improve clinical confidence in prostate cancer care, it could also make long-term savings for the NHS.”

Pelican partners with MRSL as their charity of the year

October 2, 2018 by pelicanadmin

We are really excited to be partnering with medical insurance company MRSL Enterprise as their charity of the year!

Founded by a former Head of Operations of the NHS Litigation Authority and a PhD Engineer, MRSL focusses on insurances for medical risks. The core of their business is to work with medical businesses – surgeons, doctors, dentists and ancillary healthcare to understand their risks, and to develop products and accurate pricing to completely indemnify and insure these businesses.

MRSL Enterprise is also committed to obtaining fair insurance for those who wish to travel with medical conditions, including cancer. If you do speak to MRSL Enterprise – please mention that you found them through Pelican Cancer Foundation. MRSL Enterprise will then make a donation to Pelican.

MRSL’s Chris Cloke Browne visited the Pelican offices and met with our community fundraiser Tim Lockwood to discuss future event plans with us.

MRSL Enterprise plans to:

Promote Pelican’s work and values
Make relevant corporate donations to the charity throughout the year as situations arise
Assist in the work of Pelican in a non-financial way, using practical and specialist help

We are hugely looking forward to working with MRSL over the next 12 months.