Local Lead Oncology Nurse Receives Royal Invitation

Pat Dyminski, a lead oncology nurse at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has been honoured with an invitation by pioneering mobile cancer care charity, Hope for Tomorrow, to attend a Royal community reception on 30 April hosted by HM The King and HM The Queen.

The exclusive invitation follows Hope for Tomorrow’s own royal event in October last year, held at the Honourable Artillery Company, the historic home of the oldest regiment in the British Army.

Attended by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, along with representatives from businesses, trusts and other foundations, this special event highlighted the charity’s mission to bring cancer care closer to patients through their mobile units – saving them both travel and hospital-related costs. It also underlined the support it provides NHS trusts by easing pressure on oncology departments across the country.

This month the Palace reception is being held in celebration of community-based cancer support initiatives raising awareness of the needs of cancer patients. Pat, who qualified in nursing in 1983, will join other supporters, volunteers, and partners of the charity, alongside Tina Seymour, CEO of Hope for Tomorrow, in recognition of the role she played in securing a mobile cancer care unit for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust in 2018.

Pat said: “I feel honoured, proud, and amazed that I have been chosen by Hope for Tomorrow to attend. I am extremely delighted and filled with pride that the charity has been recognised and included in this day to show what they have achieved and the huge impact they have had and continue to have on patients’ cancer journey.”

“The day the first mobile cancer care unit arrived was one of the best days of my career,” added Pat. “The units park where people can access other services in the community so treatment fits into their everyday lives, rather than the other way around. It reduces the fatigue associated with cancer treatment, where travelling long distances can add significantly to a patient’s fatigue. Furthermore, our staff retention is very good and it’s a massive plus when we’re recruiting.

Both based at Airedale General Hospital the units treated 7,717 patients between 2023-2024.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the hospital-based day unit for treatment. Patients can experience long wait times, which is stressful for them. By delivering treatment closer to the patients’ homes we have a really positive impact on their treatment pathway.”

In partnership with the Airedale Trust, Hope for Tomorrow now operates two mobile cancer care units in North and West Yorkshire. Both based at Airedale General Hospital the units treated 7,717 patients between 2023-2024. Named Linda, in memory of Councillor Linda Conley, and Christine, in honour of charity founder, Christine Mills MBE, the units travel to Settle, Skipton, IIkley, and Bingley communities.

Tina Seymour, CEO of Hope for Tomorrow, added: “We are incredibly proud to be attending such a prestigious occasion. It follows our special event last year attended by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. Our recent royal recognition is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team, who work tirelessly to ensure that our mobile cancer care and support services reach patients across the country.

“Of course, this incredible work would not be possible without the support of our team, and our amazing fundraisers, event sponsors and corporate partners. Whether through Pay for a Day donations, which fund one of our units for a day, participation in and sponsorship of our Cuppa for Cancer Care campaign, which takes place each February, or the brilliant efforts of our individual fundraisers – each contribution is vital to our commitment to bring cancer care closer.”

Over half said it improved their chances of completing their treatment…

Hope for Tomorrow has 14 units and support vehicles across England and partnerships with nine NHS hospital trusts. Each unit can provide cancer care to up to four patients at a time and an average of 20 patients a day, with a total of 26,760 patient visits across 42 locations between 2023 and 2024. 50% of these patients saved over £6 per visit on parking and reduced their travel by an average of 17.4 miles. On average they saved 2.5 hours per treatment.

Over half said it improved their chances of completing their treatment and 93% found it more convenient to have their cancer care on the mobile unit – giving their experience an overall rating of 4.91 out of 5.

Tina added: “The last few years have been incredibly difficult for the charity sector with individual donations down on average around 50% as the cost-of-living crisis persists. This comes as cancer diagnoses continue to rise. As a charity we have remained incredibly agile to support our fundraisers and corporate partners, and, as a result, we’ve launched a ‘Special Edition Corporate Sponsorship Pack’ in honour of this event with unique ways for businesses to get involved. We’ve also designed a special edition Hope for Tomorrow brooch, which we will be proudly wearing at the Royal reception as a symbol of support.

“Fortunately, thanks to the generosity of everyone we have managed to continue to invest in our services. From originally offering treatments, we now support the NHS with diagnoses and screening too. Exciting innovations include the recent launch of the world’s largest mobile lung assessment unit in Manchester in partnership with Cobalt Health, bringing cancer screening and diagnosis closer to communities.”