Southend Macmillan Information & Support Centre

28/01/2026

We are pleased to share with you that we have not 1️⃣… not 2️⃣… but 3️⃣ new sessions you can join, here at Southend Macmillan Information & Support Centre

Starting from next Wednesday 4th February, the following sessions will be available on a weekly basis, to help support you during your cancer journey:

🍃 Relaxation Group (Weds 10.30 – 11.30)
Come and join our qualified relaxation therapist in our safe and calming space, and relax your mind, body and soul, whilst learning techniques to help release tension and boost your overall well-being. No pre-booking necessary.

💤 Sleep Support Group (Weds 11.45 – 12.45)
Struggling with sleep during or after cancer treatment can be extremely frustrating - but you don’t have to face it alone.
Come and join our Sleep Support Group, offering a calm space to learn, share and rebuild healthy sleep patterns. No pre-booking necessary.

☁️ 1:1 Hypnotherapy (Weds 1pm and 2pm)
Hypnotherapy is a gentle, evidence-based approach that can help calm the mind and support emotional well-being during cancer treatment. Our one-to-one hypnotherapy sessions may help with:
👉 Anxiety before treatment
👉 Relaxation during radiotherapy or scans
👉 Sleep difficulties
👉 Coping with uncertainty and loss of control
Please book in advance.

For more information, please contact us on ☎️ 0300 443 3034 or 📧 email mse.macmillan.centre@nhs.net

08/01/2026

A surgeon at Southend Hospital has been presented with a prestigious award.

Emma Gray, Consultant General and Breast Surgeon at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, has won the 2025 Association of Surgeons in Training Silver Scalpel Award.

The national award recognises the crucial role that she has played in training the next generation of surgeons.

Her commitment to helping trainees grow and developing skilled, confident surgeons made a strong impression on the judging panel, showcasing the mentorship and excellence the Silver Scalpel is all about.

Emma, who has worked at the Trust for almost 25 years and has trained hundreds of surgeons, said: “It’s a great honour to have been awarded this recognition. It is a real privilege to train the next generation of surgeons - a large number of whom are now consultants in the Essex area - and see them go on to great things.

“I’m proud to help develop safe clinicians who can not only perform operations but also listen, support, and lead. When we teach well, our trainees go on to train others. That ripple effect is what keeps surgery moving forward.”

06/01/2026

To those who attend our Art Sessions here at the MacMillan Centre - please note today’s session has been rescheduled to next week 🎨🫟🧑‍🎨

19/12/2025

09/12/2025

What a wonderful afternoon we’ve had, celebrating our amazing volunteers at Southend Macmillan Information & Support Centre🎄🎨💫

Christmas is a time for ‘giving’…. but our volunteers ‘give’ throughout the entire year and are the true backbone of our centre 🙌

We are so very grateful for each and every one of you, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas 💚

04/12/2025

Well, if the answer is yes 👉 we’re here to listen 💚

Come and join us at our Menopause Cafe TOMORROW - Friday 5th December at 11am to have a chat with our friendly Nurse and meet others who are going through the same ☕️

Held once a month at the Macmillan Centre in Southend Hospital.

No appointment necessary.

For further information, call our team at the centre on 0300 443 3034 or simply pop along tomorrow 😊

20/11/2025

Our next block of Seated Yoga sessions will commence on Thursday 4th December, held here at Southend Macmillan Information & Support Centre 🧘‍♀️🧘🏾 Courtesy of Yoga4all💫

If you are interested, please call our friendly and helpful team on 0300 443 3034.

Namaste 🙏

10/11/2025

From this week, the 2025 National Cancer Patient Experience Survery will be distributed… so please keep a look out 👀

The NCPES aims to understand people’s experiences of cancer care across England and enables cancer services to use the results to make improvement’s based on what really matters to people.

If you receive a survey this week (or in the near future), please do take the time to complete it - for voices to be heard and action to be taken ✅

04/11/2025

Join our Hair Loss Specialists Sam and Jan at our next Southend Hospital Clinic with Hairdressing Services THIS Thursday 6th November from 9.15am-2pm.

Our Specialist Hair Loss Support Service is FREE of charge and covers subjects such as Scalp Cooling and making a plan for hair loss as well as wig care, new hair growth and temporary colours. Our service also includes a free support pack.

Our new Hairdressing Services include:
Haircut service
Headwear session
Wig Bank session
Cuppa and Consultation

Please book in advance for one of these hairdressing services, by emailing support@cancerhaircare.com or calling 0300 102 2525. If you are dropping by especially to see us we recommend that you also book in advance.

Location – Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service at Southend Hospital, Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 0RY

03/11/2025

Regular breast screening can find breast cancer before you notice any signs or symptoms.

If you have been invited for breast screening but missed or did not book your appointment, you can arrange one here: https://orlo.uk/AKwtV

03/11/2025

As November marks , we wanted to remind you of what the most common symptoms to look out for, are:

👉 Having a new cough, a cough most of the time or a change in cough

👉 Getting out of breath doing the things you used to do without a problem

👉 A hoarse voice

👉 Coughing up phlegm (sputum) with blood in it

👉 Having an ache or pain in the chest or shoulder

👉 Chest infections that keep coming back or a chest infection that doesn't get better

👉 Losing your appetite

👉 Feeling tired all the time (fatigue)

👉 Losing weight without trying to

Please do remember that having these symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you have lung cancer - however, if you are concerned at all then please get checked out by your GP 🩶

13/10/2025

The grand total is in from a fabulous fundraising event, organised by Cancer Hair Care’s Jan and Samantha, held a few weeks ago....

🥁🥁🥁 DRUM ROLLS PLEASE 🥁🥁🥁

An astonishing £2,078 was raised in a "Wig Gig" featuring 60's rock band, Mars Garden 🎸with guests being encouraged to wear fun coloured wigs 🤩

A HUGE thank you to all involved for raising a spectacular amount of money, which will help continue to fund our amazing team from Cancer Hair Care - an incredibly important service to be able to continue offering patients here at Southend Macmillan Information & Support Centre

THANK YOU! 🩷