World Cancer Day 2024 | How our services support cancer journeys

4 February 2024

Today, Sunday 4 February, is World Cancer Day. The annual awareness day has taken place for last 24 years and people from all walks of life come together to raise awareness of cancer. 

Cancer is important to us every day at Velindre Cancer Centre. One in two people in the UK will be affected by cancer during their lifetime and many of these people in South East Wales pass through our doors with 9,000 new patient referrals in 2023 alone. 

There are over 1.5 million people in the population we serve and, in our role as a specialist cancer centre, we provide a wide range of services with experts across many different areas of cancer care. 

On World Cancer Day 2024, we want to shine a spotlight on some of these services and say ‘Diolch’ to our incredible workforce who go above and beyond to help patients and their loved ones every single day.

Dr Betsan Thomas explains her role as a consultant, the way multi-disciplinary teams work together, and the importance of the patient voice. 

Our therapies departments include Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language. They make a huge difference to patient outcomes, as our Macmillan Head of Therapies Kate Baker shares.

Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy plays a crucial role in ensuring all patients who pass through our doors receive the medicine they need. Find out more from Bethan Tranter, our Chief Pharmacist.

Attending the cancer centre can be a daunting experience, but our staff go out of their way to make visitors feel as comfortable as possible. Dr Aisling Butler explains more about visiting the radiology service and what patients can expect when they arrive. 

These videos were recorded as part of the RITA Project delivered by the Innovation team. You can find more helpful videos like this on RITA, the world’s first artificial intelligence enabled virtual assistant to be trained specifically in oncology. Visit our website and tap on the RITA icon in the bottom right to chat to us.