Local Fundraising Enables First-Ever Clinical Psychologist At The Primrose Breast Care Centre

Thanks to the work of its incredible fundraisers, Derriford-based charity The Primrose Foundation has been able to fund a fixed-term clinical psychologist for the Primrose breast care centre at Derriford Hospital - and one Plymouth woman has been speaking about how the support offered helped her to cope with a shock diagnosis.

Nicola Bevan-French was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram in April 2021. The mammogram revealed bright white dots signifying calcification in the tissue of her right breast and following a biopsy, Nicola was advised she would need surgery.

Faced with having to quickly make some big decisions, Nicola felt overwhelmed. It became clear that what she really wanted was someone to talk to: someone outside of her family and friends bubble where she could express her fears without upsetting loved ones, someone who could help her to make the best decisions for her, and who could offer the extra support she needed - she’d also just started a new job and was worried about taking time off so soon.

Nicola was seen, treated, and cared for by a team of consultants, plastic surgeons, and breast nurse specialists at the Primrose Breast Care Centre within University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which is also home to The Primrose Foundation. The Foundation has raised millions of pounds since it was launched in 1995, with the initial aim of opening a ‘one stop’ breast care clinic at the Derriford Hospital. With match funding from the then Plymouth Hospitals Trust, that dream became a reality in 2001 and this April sees the 21st anniversary of the Primrose Breast Care Centre's opening.

One of the Foundation’s most recent fundraising successes was being able to fund a part-time clinical psychologist for two years. In Spring 2021, Katie Sleep joined the team at the Primrose Centre. Katie had just taken up her post shortly after Nicola received her diagnosis, so for Nicola, Katie’s arrival was perfect timing: “Katie asked me what my concerns were, and I said, ‘I’m scared I’m going to die’. Six to eight hours under anaesthetic terrified me.

“Katie then asked me some very direct questions about my fear of dying so that we went deeper into it, and I said, ‘the reason I’m so scared is that I’ve still got so much more living to do. I love my life’. So, through Katie’s specific questioning, I had reframed it, from being scared to have surgery in case I died, to saying ‘I want to live, let’s get this done’.”

Nicola had a mastectomy and reconstruction. She decided against an implant, in favour of deep inferior epigastric perforators (DIEP) surgery, where tissue is taken from the abdomen and used in the breast reconstruction: “In the end, I was under anaesthetic for nine hours,” said Nicola. “But when I came round, I felt fine; I didn’t even feel I needed strong painkillers. The care was so fantastic. And people can’t tell that I’ve had a mastectomy.”

Nicola had the surgery in August 2021 and was back at work in October. She will need a yearly mammogram for the next five years but, other than that, she’s back to living and loving her life just as before: “If I hadn’t gone to my mammogram, it would have been too late. I could be dying of breast cancer without even knowing it. I feel I was one of the very lucky ones.”

Without Katie, Nicola says the diagnosis would have been much harder for her to deal with: “Katie gave me a safe space to talk. The important thing is that the decision must be yours, not your partner’s, not your surgeon’s, not your wider family, yours. Katie knows what questions to ask that bring out our fears.”

Katie usually meets her patients in the centre’s specially designed quiet room, which was opened in 2020 also thanks to local fundraising. Although she does some work with diagnosed patients such as Nicola, her core work is with those who are genetically predisposed to breast cancer. Those with a BRCA gene alteration have an increased risk of developing breast cancer at some time in their life. Katie will meet these patients and discuss options, and the level of support Katie provides varies according to the patient's needs.

There are three key stages to her work with each patient: when they are considering the options; before surgery; and after surgery: “My role is to bridge the medical side of things; it’s giving them space to work things out. And it’s about giving patients a degree of control, where before they felt they had no control. They are taking something back in a chaotic situation.

“Some patients, for various reasons, might decide they don’t want surgery. For some, surgery might feel like the only option. Then it’s about feeling comfortable in the decision they make. For one woman, that might be a mastectomy and no reconstruction, for another, reconstruction feels imperative as they could never imagine life without a breast shape. So, we look at what’s important to them in their lives. How do they feel about their bodies? What is the ripple effect of that in terms of relationships, self-confidence, going out socially?

“And I like to ask questions that others won’t ask, or questions that the patients might not have thought of - such as around intimacy with their partner. Considering these questions helps them to make the decisions that are right for them. Often, by having these conversations with me, it clarifies their own thoughts.”

As well as Katie’s position, the Foundation - which works closely with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust - has also funded the recent appointment of two additional breast care nurses for the Centre for two years. The charity’s next big fundraiser is its annual Spring Ball at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth on Saturday 23 April 2022, when it hopes to launch its new ‘Support us to Support You’ campaign. The campaign will focus on encouraging everyone to donate the cost of a bra every year or three years after reaching screening age.

Madeleine Matthews, Fundraising Coordinator for The Primrose Foundation explained: “Your bra offers a vital support role. Like your bra, The Primrose Foundation supports your breasts, too. We offer support to those that require breast care, including breast cancer care. So, would you support us so we can continue to support you?

Patient Stories, Staff & Trustees, FundraisingThe Primrose Foundation28 March 2022Comment