One of the positives in people having the use of the centre and its expertise and staff is it lifts some burden of the NHS. “I think we are helping the NHS immensely. If people weren't coming here, they are quite likely to be knocking on the GP door and saying, I'm really down in the dumps today. I think I need counselling or whatever it might be. Often when they come in, they'll speak to a nurse, and they may have a bit of a pain here or an ache there, they can get that level of reassurance, or the nurses will say, well, actually, I think you need to go back and see your GP. It's something that we often hear from patients, they kind of cope while they're on that initial treatment journey, they’re regularly attending appointments and have reassurance from the clinicians, that they're progressing well. Then their treatment stops and they don't have that reassurance anymore. I think we do fill a gap that was identified by our founders many years ago. We constantly review that and change our services, depending on the needs of those that come in.”

The centre extended its services out to people who are going through diagnostic testing and the journey that may involve from initial tests to getting the results, sometimes months down the line. “Even though they haven't had a confirmed diagnosis, we will support them through that period. Hopefully, at the end, everything comes back and it's negative and they go back on their life's journey. But, if it isn't, we've already developed a relationship with them that we can then help them on to the next stage.” This is beneficial for the patients, carers and families, as many people know waiting for possible life-changing results can be such an anxious wait in which life seems to be on hold and you are left with a barrage of emotions and no clear direction.

Held in high regard by the community the local palliative nurses will work closely with the centre, helping build a strong support for the patients. “We have a very close relationship with the palliative care nurses who often refer people to us. Their caseloads are huge, so if somebody's fairly stable, they will often refer them here and know that when things change, our nurses will call and say ‘I think perhaps you need to see this patient again they're not so well.’ Similarly, we'll ring the GP up and just have a chat and say, ‘we’re a little bit concerned about this patient.’ Because as soon as somebody is admitted into our services, with their consent, we send a letter to their GP to let them know that they're accessing services here. We don't have in-depth discussions because it's still very confidential. We're not part of the NHS, so they won't disclose information. But it does allow us to convey that information across with the patient's consent.”

The lack of communication between the NHS departments, outside agencies and the Bracken Trust can make things harder in terms of support and Ann believes that is where the holistic needs assessment can be helpful. It would create a more joined-up care. Every individual would have a copy of their assessment, and a copy of their care plan, that they can share with whoever's involved in their care. “It avoids a lot of duplication and somebody else sitting down with them and trying to identify the top three or four concerns because it's already been documented. They can be reviewed then on a regular basis, because obviously, those needs will change.” 

Funding the Bracken Trust is no easy undertaking as they receive no statutory funding at all. The services they provide are invaluable to the Powys community as a whole and it is relantant on fundraising, legacies and grant awards. The community will also support the Centre and hold much-needed fundraising events. “Our income is from legacies, we are fortunate we get a couple of legacies left for us. Fundraising, grant applications, and they're becoming more challenging because every funder wants a project when what we actually need is help with the running costs, everything's going up. We're still looking at avenues to get some sort of service-level agreement in place with a local health board. We really hope we don't ever get to the stage where we have to start reducing services.”

The centre has plans to build an extension to provide respite care beds and ultimately a much-needed 24/7 Hospice for the area which is currently lacking. The nearest ones are in Hereford or Shrewsbury, not local for many in Powys. It is a service that would drastically help many families and reduce costs and time, especially travelling. “Everything is quite a journey here to get to the Hospices. When you've got people who are older, it just adds more anxiety and more costs for them. We would have some respite care beds and then ultimately a 24/7 Hospice. It's certainly been identified as a need in the community. So now, it's getting the finances together to do it and make it happen. I think if we get our structure, right, and our resources, hopefully, the second phase will come along.”

Ann loves her role and the small team of staff and volunteers at the centre offer a warm friendly welcome to all. “We're here to support everybody that's affected by cancer. It is a free service. I think it's a really lovely establishment. We've got hubs in the community as well which run once or twice a month for people to access those services and not have the travel costs of coming into the centre. That's an ongoing project and we're looking to open another hub in Newtown and possibly move more towards Brecon as well. So quite a lot of plans there for the future.”