An informative and powerful event held last month offered patients in their first year of living with a stoma, also known as Ostomates, the opportunity to exchange stories and build a sense of community.
Hosted at Macclesfield Masonic Hall by staff from East Cheshire NHS Trust, the event included testimonials from former and current stoma patients, who shared their personal journeys, fostering a strong sense of community and mutual support.
Alongside talks from external companies on a range of topics, staff from the Trust also provided a segment on many overlooked topics, including dining out in restaurants, and intimacy.
Stoma Nurse Specialist for East Cheshire NHS Trust Sue Garlick said: “It's a real privilege to not only support patients during their hospital stay but to also support them preadmission and for the lifetime of their stoma.
“The event provided a powerful reminder of the positive impact that patient-centred care can have on improving quality of life for stoma patients.”
Over 200,000 people in the UK are living with a stoma, which is a surgically created opening on the front of your abdomen and diverts your faeces or urine into a bag on the outside of your body.
The Trust’s Stoma Care service provides counselling advice and support, before, during, and after surgery to our patients and their families.
For more information on the Stoma Care team at the Trust, please click here.
ENDS
Picture caption: Sue Garlick (Left) and Michele Hill (Right) from the Trust’s Stoma Care Team
Notes for editors
- For further information about East Cheshire NHS Trust, contact the Trust press office on 01625 663935 between the hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday.
- East Cheshire NHS Trust is the main provider of acute and community health services for the people of East Cheshire. The Trust is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
- Follow East Cheshire NHS Trust on Twitter for all the latest news @EastCheshireNHS
- East Cheshire NHS Charity is the official charity of East Cheshire NHS Trust. We raise money for Macclesfield District General Hospital, Knutsford Community Hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital and all our community services.
- East Cheshire NHS Charity goes above and beyond standard Government funding to make your local NHS that extra special. From supporting staff health and wellbeing to providing toys to brighten up our young patients’ days to making long stay patients feel more at home – our mission is to make a visible difference. You can make a donation to the charity on JustGiving here.
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