The origins of Wirral Holistic Care Services stretch back 20 years.

It was then that Dorothy Crowther – our chief executive – first proposed the idea that complementary therapies and ongoing care could help cancer patients to not only cope with the diagnosis of their illness, but also offer them a much greater input over improving their quality of life.

With a range of therapies on offer, patients become an integral part of the treatment process by choosing the treatment they feel would best help them to deal with the nature of their condition and lifestyle. It is this crucial aspect of our service that provides one of the most telling physical and psychological benefits to patients – each of them knowing that they are taking a pro-active and positive first step in dealing with their condition.

It took almost four years of painstaking research and lobbying for Dorothy to convince many sceptics of the potential benefits on offer. But eventually in 1988, the idea was given the ‘green light’ by the then Wirral Health Authority and Wirral Holistic Care Services was formally established, within a disused ward of St Catherine’s Hospital, Birkenhead.

From day one, our underlying ethos hasn’t changed. This is to offer hope, comfort and support to the many thousands of people living with cancer, through our network of qualified and highly dedicated nurses, therapists, clinicians and specialists – all of whom kindly volunteer so much of their time and energy for the benefit of our patients.

A growing reputation
In the early days, our patient catchment area covered just the Wirral. But as our reputation grew, patient numbers quickly increased from the greater Merseyside area, North Wales and Cheshire. To date, we have treated patients from all over the UK, as well as those with cancer from locations around the world; Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece Spain, the United States and Canada – even patients from as far away as Iran and India.

Recognition of our work has come from many quarters of the healthcare sector. We have won numerous awards for specialist patient care and WHCS is widely acknowledged as a genuine centre of excellence within our field – endorsed by the fact that 87% of patient referrals now come from other healthcare professionals.

Funding, the lifeblood of every charity
Paradoxically, as our reputation has increased, so to has the pressure on our funding. But despite the continuous burden on our finances, all our patient care and ongoing support is offered free of charge, and no patient is ever refused treatment.

WHCS a registered charity, and whilst we receive a financial contribution from our local Primary Care Trust – helping us to meet a proportion of our running costs – all other expenditure has to be met through fundraising, sponsorship and corporate/individual donations.

All monetary support we receive is greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a financial donation to Wirral Holistic, our donations link will explain in more detail.

Drawing inspiration from our patients
In spite of the ongoing funding challenges, we draw great strength from the courage displayed by our patients and the positive effect our support and therapies have on the lives of those with cancer – and in many cases, their carers and families.

Here’s just one recent testimonial we’ve received from Sue – a cancer suffer herself. We believe it speaks volumes for our service.

Sue told us: “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my world changed. My journey of operations, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was made much easier by the help I received from the Wirral Holistic. Later, I found the transition from cancer patient to survivor very frightening, but WHCS helped me to move on to a new and much stronger life.”

Please enjoy your journey around our site. If you’re visiting us because you have recently been diagnosed with cancer and would like to find out how we can help you deal with your treatment and recuperation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Through positive care, we’ll help you to discover a better quality of life.

Just click on the Contact link.