A London-based service going above and beyond for people living with cancer in Hammersmith and Fulham has been honoured with a prestigious Macmillan award for its inspirational work to support people living with cancer within the borough.

The Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service was awarded the much-coveted Integration Excellence Award, recognising how individuals and teams have worked together to improve the coordination of services.

It also acknowledges its success enabling a ‘joined-up’ approach across all services – from GPs to hospital – a patient is likely to encounter after their diagnosis, providing a seamless experience for people living with cancer.

The dedicated 13-strong team of Link Workers support all patients with non-medical issues that impact on their health and wellbeing. The team comprises 3 link workers, five of whom were originally funded by Macmillan but are now sustainable and taking giant strides in improving the lives of people with cancer.

The annual awards recognise the incredible work of Macmillan professionals and teams up and down the country. The Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service was nominated by colleagues for their dedication to supporting people living with cancer in the area.

Sacdiya Ali, Lead Macmillan Link Worker for Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service, who accepted the award on behalf of the team says:

“This award is recognition of all the hard work the team has done over the years and especially during the last most challenging year. It is proof that coming together and working well is not only possible but also necessary. It is the only way to go forward and help people in need.

“On behalf of everyone at the Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service, we want to thank Macmillan for the honour.”

Lily Woldesmait, Macmillan Link Worker for Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service, who also accepted the award says:

“The Integration Excellence award is about joining up services to help people with cancer and that’s exactly why we are so excited that the Hammersmith and Fulham Links Service won! We are about linking up different services, organisations and professionals to make the lives of patients just a little bit easier.

“The team actively seeks out new ways to fill gaps in patients’ needs by linking up with voluntary and community services including Citizens Advice, Law Centres, Maggie’s and the Macmillan Cancer Navigator Service at Imperial College.”