New additional support for cancer patients on Ward Alaw – thanks to Tîm Irfon
#TeamIrfon, part of the North Wales NHS Charity, Awyr Las, are proud to announce the creation of a brand new post - a mental health worker for Alaw Ward.
#TeamIrfon will fund the role on Ysbyty Gwynedd's cancer ward as a pilot scheme to offer mental health support to cancer patients and their families. The scheme is initially planned to run for 3 years.
The mental health worker will work directly with patients, on the ward, for 22.5 hours per week.
Irfon Williams, who founded Team Irfon after being diagnosed with cancer, passed away in 2017 at the age of 46. He underwent treatment on Alaw Ward but despite receiving care of the highest quality, Irfon, along with his wife Becky, saw a gap in more specialist mental health support that cancer patients received.
Irfon was himself a mental health nurse, and saw that his worries and the fear of the unknown whilst receiving treatment for cancer were something that all patients in his situation had to cope with.
Becky Williams, Irfon's wife recalls the events at the time:
"Back in 2014, when we received Irfon's diagnosis, our whole world fell to pieces, but by focusing on our mental health we were able to remain resilient which in turn helped Irfon cope with demands of the cancer treatment.
"Living with cancer is far from easy. Irfon himself at times felt low and struggled to find hope at times, which is perfectly natural. Patients and their loved ones often face low mood and anxiety about the future."
Living with cancer during the pandemic is particularly challenging says Becky Williams: "Not only do patients and carers have the worry of cancer they are also anxious about the additional fears that Covid-19 brings.
"Alongside worries regarding contracting Covid-19 there is the impact on the NHS’s ability to deliver services. None of us can live life as we want to at the moment but if you are also living with cancer there is an additional impact on mental health."
Very often the practical side of caring for patients and administrating medication and so on means that having conversations with patients and allowing them opportunity to share their fears is often overlooked due to ward staff being very busy.
Manon Ogwen Williams, a Matron on Ward Alaw welcomes this new announcement:
"We're very excited about this project – extended mental health support for our patients has been something that we have wanted to provide for a long time. There is a definite need for this post. It is something we receive constant feedback on from patients and carers, who feel there should be more mental health support.
"Patients have commented that having a member of staff who has the time and skills to talk to them about their mental health would be very valuable. They say that they would rather receive this contact on Alaw ward as opposed to having a referral to see an external specialist.
"The mental health worker will have the necessary skills to know when and how to initiate those formal referrals for higher level consultation, if and when necessary."
Every day, around 30 patients attend the Alaw Day Ward for treatment. Due to Covid-19 restrictions the Team Irfon Mental Health Worker post is on hold, but in the meantime Team Irfon is funding counselling and mindfulness support provided by local specialists on a case-by-case basis in order to address the need for mental health support. The mindfulness support funded by Team Irfon will be provided in Welsh and English, as Team Irfon is supporting the costs of translating invaluable resources.