Cancer patients in Norfolk and Waveney work with NHS to create 'toolkit' for those affected

It's been launched to help people across Norfolk & Waveney

Gemma and Craig Easterbrook
Author: Tom ClabonPublished 6th Mar 2024

Local cancer patients have been working with Norfolk and Waveney's NHS care board to put together a 'toolkit' to signpost where those with the disease can get help.

It's been launched to help those with cancer find out where in Norfolk and Waveney they can go to get support.

"Can be overwhelming"

Gemma Easterbrook helped to curate the content and brought in her own experiences to shape the toolkit.

Gemma was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018 and sadly passed away in November 2023.

Her husband Craig Easterbrook said today: “Much of the journey can be overwhelming and there is often a lot of information to process.

"This toolkit is not only useful for people living with cancer but also for loved ones who can refer to it at different milestones and come back to it whenever they need it.

He added: “Gemma always wanted good things to come from her personal cancer journey. Her work on this project was another way of dedicating herself to this goal.”

Cancer will affect 1 in 2 people in their lifetime so many people may need to access the toolkit at some point, including families, carers and champions.

Dr Suzanne Phillips, Clinical Lead for Cancer for NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, welcomed the resource, saying:

“As clinicians, we’re keen to signpost people to the support services on offer to them, whether these are provided by the NHS, charities or other organisations.

"By bringing all the local information together in one place I really feel this will help people to better access what they need."

This news comes after the King was recently diagnosed with cancer.

As a result the NHS saw 51% rise in people searching for information about cancer in the 24 hours after the announcement.

The toolkit comes in addition to all the cancer services already provided by the NHS in Norfolk and Waveney.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.