About Maggie's
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when I walk into a centre?
How do we know our programme works?
Why is it different from talking to medical staff?
Who works in a Maggie's centre?
How is Maggie's different from other major cancer charities?
What does Maggie's offer that isn't provided elsewhere?
Why does Maggie's choose to build such special buildings?
Who is a Maggie's Centre for?
Maggie’s Centres are there to support you whatever your experience of cancer.
‘After the second diagnosis Christine and I came out of the oncology unit in a daze, and walked into Maggie's. We were both pretty numb at the time. It was one of the best things we ever did. They sat us down and we had a cup of tea and we went through things.‘
Norrie Brown
When should I come?
You can come to Maggie’s at any time, however you are feeling. You may be receiving treatment, in remission or have a close friend or family member with cancer. The centres are open weekdays from 9am to 5pm.
"I came across Maggie’s Centre just before my mastectomy - the operation was delayed for an hour and that upset me a little bit. I went for a walk near the hospital and saw the sign for Maggie's Centre and went in. One of the staff there said 'Can I help you?' I said 'I'm just here for an hour, I'm due to go for a mastectomy and it's been delayed.' And he said, 'How do you feel?' I just burst into tears." Isla McCurrach
What happens when I walk into a Centre?
Anyone affected by cancer can walk into any Maggie’s Centre at any time. You do not have to be connected to the hospital.
• You won’t have to fill out a form or book an appointment to come in.
• There will always be a member of the Maggies team to welcome you, say hello and offer you a drink or a tea or coffee.
• A member of the Maggie’s team will explain what is on offer at the Maggie’s centre.
• You can stay as long as you want. Wander from room to room. Read some of the literature. Talk to others who recognise how you’re feeing. Sit at the kitchen table and read your paper or write your shopping list. There are no rules or regulations as to what you have to do.
• The next time you come in you’ll be able to make your own drink, check the biscuit tin and the Maggie’s staff will know who you are.
"What I love about Maggie’s is their whole attitude. They let you begin. They don’t come on all strong which would have scared me away. They were receptive warm and open and that meant I could ask them for help." Moyra Holmes
"It's such a relief when you go into Maggie's. Yes, everyone knows you've got cancer, but my goodness you can still smile. It's so nice to walk in and have that smile. In Maggie's it is like being equal. Cancer levels you.” Isla McCurroch
How do we know our programme works?
Maggie’s asks the people who come through our doors to tell us how well they think we are doing. We carry out an audit every year and constantly review the services we offer people to make sure we are helping as many of them as possible.
In addition, we carry out a triennial external review, asking a leading expert in the field of cancer care to come in and carry out a full evaluation of what we do.
Why is it different from talking to medical staff?
"Maggie's is about starting from the point of view of the patient and responding to their situation. It’s non physical: you could almost say spiritual. Probably the best way to describe it is that it's about the heart." John Wilson, Consultant.
Maggie’s Centres are there to complement the hospitals they sit beside.
We call the care we give ‘psycho–oncology’. It means we recognise all the emotions involved with a cancer diagnosis.
Many of those emotions take time and space to explore. This just isn’t possible within a hospital environment.
"This is a sanctuary away from the formality and business of hospital, and a refuge from the demons." Jenny
Time
• Time to be treated as a person not a patient.
• Time to have your thoughts and feelings heard and respected.
• Time to talk to others affected by cancer and to share your experiences as many times as you want.
Space
• To gather your thoughts and not have to rush.
• To look at a view and not have to move.
• To unpack your mind and catch your breath.
Who works in a Maggie's Centre?
"The people you meet at Maggie's help to guide you through - they show you the routes you can take to make living with cancer more comfortable. It reinforces your faith in yourself and others." Dennis Ping
In a Maggie’s Centre you will find a centre head, a benefits adviser, a chartered psychologist and cancer support specialists.
The Centre staff are cancer professionals with the skills and experience to help in the search for knowledge, understanding and psychological support.
They are experts through their training, through their prior experience and through working at Maggie’s.
At the heart of the Maggie’s philosophy is the recognition that you are ‘in charge’ of your own disease as you are of your own life. You may want to take an active role in your treatment and this may help you to feel better but you may also feel more comfortable with a passive role. The professionals at Maggie’s recognise that different people will use the centres in different ways.
Our staff are there to help you to help yourself. They do not hold the ‘answers’ but they do know how to support you.
Our staff are there to listen to your needs. They can suggest workshops, one to one sessions with a psychologist, a chat with the benefits adviser, joining relaxation or meditation groups. They may suggest you join a support group where you can express your thoughts, fears and concerns with others who understand what you are going through. Find out more about the Maggie's programme.
Staff at Maggie’s cannot know everything about every cancer type but they will know how and where to look for information.
The small size of our staff is important because you can easily recognise and know them without the use of badges or titles. They will also get to know you and welcome you by name as you come through the door.
“When I walked through the door I immediately felt at ease. It's a very homely environment and the guys at Maggie's are very good at drawing people out of themselves." Richard Smith
How is Maggie's different from other major cancer charities?
Maggie's is the only cancer charity that provides support –
From the moment the person affected by cancer asks for help.
On any type of cancer.
For as long as help is needed.
In support of Medical treatment.
In a domestic not a clinical setting.
For anyone affected by cancer, including family, friends and carers.
Including information provided by other cancer charities.
In a specially designed building.
In a centre conveniently close to cancer treatment centres.
Free of charge with no need for an appointment.
People with cancer frequently say that they want access to support and information when and where they need it.
Maggie’s works with other cancer charities such as CancerBACUP, Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Care and Roy Castle to offer a wide range of services under one roof.
What does Maggie's offer that isn't provided elsewhere?
There is a wide variety of cancer support. What doesn’t exist is a specific, easily accessible place where people can sit down with a cancer support specialist who has time to listen and to make good human contact. Maggie’s provide the time and the space for each individual to work out what he or she needs from the programme offered by Maggie’s or other cancer charities.
Why is it different from the NHS?
Hospitals and the doctors and nurses working in there are there to treat patients. They have limited time and their treatments are often not conducive to a sense of well-being. Hospitals themselves are large and disorientating and make people feel like cogs in a machine. It is critical that supporting people with cancer should be done in a place which is distinct from the hospital, a place where the emphasis of the help on offer is on the person not the disease. Maggie’s Centres are effective because their support is unconditional and non-institutional.
Maggie’s strength lies in being independent of, but working in partnership with the NHS.
Why does Maggie's choose to build such special buildings?
A bad environment can increase stress or anxiety – and the reverse is also true. Maggie knew that people feel better and more positive when they are in a good, bright and heartening environment.
Maggie’s strives to create spaces, that are non-institutional and domestic in scale, but which are also unique. We ask architects to design buildings where people feel safe and valued and also to create an atmosphere that stimulates their imagination.
People who use our centres tell us how much they value the quality of our informal and inspirational buildings. Local communities feel proud of their centre and identify with them, which helps us with on-going fundraising.
We believe that those exceptional environments are an important part of the help we offer. Maggie’s commissioned the UK’s first buildings by internationally renowned architects, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. Maggie's London was designed by one of Britains best-loved architectural teams, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners. And we currently are working with McCormac Jamieson and Prichard, Piers Gough of CZWG and Wilkinson Eyre on plans for new centres that will result from our Joy of Living Campaign.
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Maggie's Centres can be found in the following locations:
Open Centres:
- Oxford
- South West Wales
- Lanarkshire
- Hong Kong