Cancer support service facing the axe as GP funding changes
Southport Macmillan Centre will no longer receive funding for its Cancer Navigator Service
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
When new funding formulas from NHS England come into effect, it will mean more goes to directly to GP practices. However, the trade off is that less money will then go to organisations like Southport and Formby Primary Care Network (PCN) which brings together more than a dozen practices and other services under one organisation.
As such, the PCN is looking at how to make cuts and a vital service which helps cancer patients and their family is to lose its funding. Suffice to say, that decision has proved deeply unpopular and prompted serious concerns. That is the focus of today’s main story.
Southport briefing
🎨 A famous painting linked to one of the most remarkable stories of the First World War is now on display at The Atkinson, helping visitors discover a special connection between Sefton and the Belgian city of Mons. The Angels of Mons, painted by artist Marcel Gillis, is part of the Atkinson Art Gallery Collection and is featured in a new exhibition that explores the legend of the “Angels of Mons”. The legend began during the Battle of Mons in Belgium when stories spread that British soldiers, facing great danger, were protected by mysterious angelic figures or ghostly archers led by Saint George. The tale gave hope to many people during the dark early days of the war. Although the story was inspired by a fictional short story called The Bowmen by writer Arthur Machen, many people came to believe the events were real. The legend quickly became one of the best-known wartime stories in Britain. Cllr Liz Dowd, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Culture and Libraries, said: “This painting is significant because it captures the power of belief, hope and imagination during wartime. And for local residents, the exhibition has an extra meaning as Sefton has been twinned with Mons since 1964, creating a long-standing friendship between the two communities”. The exhibition has been created in partnership with the Mons Memorial Museum and celebrates the shared history between the two places. The Angels of Mons exhibition runs until October 17th and is free to visit.
🧑⚖️ A woman who stole £50,000 from employer to fund holidays, clothes, bills and home improvements has been jailed for 38 months. Donna Pope, 47, used the company credit card to pay for trips to Amsterdam and Malaga and pay for a personal trainer while her employer battled cancer. She later claimed she hadn’t realised the money hadn’t come out of her personal account. Giving a victim impact statement, employer Eddie Tucker, from Southport, said: “When I first began to suspect irregularities, Donna repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. She gave excuses, including claiming she had accidentally connected her personal PayPal account to the business and that she would ‘sort it out’. “These explanations were lies. She continued to deny the fraud for many months and left the company, citing she was offered another job that offered more flexibility.” He added: “Her actions have devastated my business, my finances, and my family’s sense of security. The emotional impact is ongoing. We are still dealing with the consequences every day, and the road to recovery, financially, physically, and emotionally remains uncertain.” Pope, of Liverpool Road, Ormskirk, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
🔍 The Liberal Democrats have called in Sefton Council’s proposed deal to allow GSL Developments to demolish the Sands pub in Ainsdale and rebuild a hotel in its place. The council announced the agreement last week, after which The Southport Lead revealed it involved a five-year agreement in which it must achieve certain goals to allow the progression of a 250-year lease. The Lib Dems say such a move requires greater scrutiny and the call-in would mean a public meeting with questioning on issues such as timescales and deadlines, financing, assurances from the developer, and how the interests of the council and residents are protected. Lib Dem leader Cllr John Pugh said: “There is no-one who would not welcome the replacement of the current eyesore with a new hotel and leisure facilities and no-one doubts the good intentions on both sides. However, this is a big step for the council, especially with the handing over of a 250 year lease, and Sefton Council has a tendency to be incautiously optimistic, rather than sensibly realistic. A lot more gets announced by the council’s press department than actually delivered on the ground. The proposed developer for the Sands has already been offered at times both Kings Gardens and the Esplanade Park and Ride site by Sefton to build a surfing lagoon (the Cove - first announced in 2020 ), and no-one seems to be ordering their surf board currently. Sefton are now giving the same developer five years to build out a development on the Sands. Although it is obviously a less challenging scheme, there is the natural need for councillors to be assured that there is the investment in place or in prospect to complete in time as planned.”
Cancer support service facing the axe as GP funding changes
By Jamie Lopez
A service which provides emotional, practical and financial support to cancer patients is at risk of being closed after losing its funding.
The Cancer Navigator Service is run by Southport Macmillan Centre and offers a combination of emotional and practical support, factoring in counselling, group sessions and signposting patients and families to other services. The centre, based on Wright Street, hopes to continue operating the service but no longer has the resources to do so.
However, it has been told by Southport and Formby Primary Care Network (PCN) that its funding will be cut and will no longer cover the service after March 2027.
The PCN is a collection of 14 GP practices and other local providers and has had its own funding formula altered by NHS England. This has meant around £400,000 less goes to the PCN, with the money instead going directly to individual practices specifically for the purpose of creating more appointments.
As the navigator service is not among the legal and contractual obligations of the PCN, it is in line to be cut in the next financial year. The network, which has large offices at Southport Business Park, says it has also made redundancies and other cost-cutting measures but is facing criticism for a decision which is being described as short-sighted and misguided.
Among those lobbying to reverse it is Southport MP Patrick Hurley, who believes that losing the service will prove to be a false economy as more people instead look to make GP appointments.
He told The Southport Lead that the PCN had analysed its expenditure and found the navigator service to be among the least efficient, though he believes it provides good value for money helping around 800 people each year.
Hurley said: “This is a false economy because they will end up having to provide an alternative to the navigator service through their own GP budgets on an ad hoc and almost random basis without the efficiencies that are currently provided by Macmillan.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if Macmillan are a hugely efficient charity that basically provide unknown social through the senior management putting a shift in when they shouldn’t, doing more than they’re actually paid for. This is what small charities are like and it’s just not accounted for sufficiently.”
He added: “If a cancer navigator interacts with someone that’s been referred to them, they don’t just do the very minimum that’s required of them under the service contract. What they also do is that informal mediation therapy support or they signpost to other services and they’re a bit of a shoulder to cry on when people are vulnerable.
