Go-ahead to transport cancer patients

A volunteer cancer patient transport service is to be introduced at two Cork hospitals within months.

The Irish Cancer Society confirmed it has reached agreement with Cork University Hospital and the Mercy University Hospital to introduce a “care to drive” service in October.

It is a community-based driving service for cancer patients which sees trained volunteers bring the patients to and from hospital for appointments and treatments.

Carefully selected and Garda vetted volunteers are now undergoing training.

Irish Cancer Society (ICS) spokesperson Gail Flinter said when a person is diagnosed with cancer, travelling for treatment can be an additional stress and worry.

“There are a number of reasons patients might avail of this service; if they are living on their own or if their family cannot take time off work to bring them to and from the hospital,” she said.

“We are urging anyone with difficulty getting to and from their treatment to speak to the social worker in their hospital or talk to their oncology nurse when they are receiving treatment.”

The confidential service is available to patients attending Dublin’s Mater Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital, St James’s Hospital and the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, as well as Letterkenny General Hospital in Donegal, Portiuncula Hospital in Co Galway, and Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.

The ICS said it wants to extend the service to Connolly Hospital in Dublin, the Midlands Regional Hospital in Co Offaly and Waterford Regional Hospital.

The ICS has now issued an appeal to people to sign up to take part in Cork’s mini marathon on Sept 16 to raise funds to help fund the expansion.

“By joining the ICS mini marathon team, you will be supporting the roll-out of cancer services in your community,” a spokesperson for the charity said.

Last year, almost 500 people ran mini-marathons in Munster for the charity.

The target is to get 800 participants this year running mini marathons in Cork and Killarney on Sept 8, Tipperary on Sept 30, and Limerick in mid-October, to help fund the care to drive initiative.

In 2011, 147 volunteers across the country drove 98,355km to bring 166 patients to and from 1,378 hospital appointments.

In the first half of 2012, 173 clients have been transported to 1,169 treatments and the trend is continuing.

Almost 30,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Ireland in 2010. Cancer will affect one in three people in Ireland during their lifetime.

New cancer cases are expected to reach over 43,000 in the year 2020.

* Call save 1850 60 60 60 or email [e-mail] for details on how to sign up.