Services provided by the Irish Cancer Society
In 2020 alone, an estimated 44,000 people received a cancer diagnosis in Ireland.
That’s 120 people every day hearing the words “you have cancer” throughout the country.
That’s 5 people every hour hearing the words “you have cancer” throughout the country.
As a result, there is an enormous need for support and information for patients across the country. The Irish Cancer Society is there to provide support every step of the way.
The Irish Cancer Society’s support services include the Cancer Support Line, a Freephone call service which offers reassurance and practical information from experienced cancer nurses to patients, their loved ones and healthcare professionals.
We also have 13 Irish Cancer Society Daffodil Centres, located in hospitals across Ireland, where cancer nurses and trained volunteers provide the same cancer information and support through face-to-face interaction.
Our Night Nursing service provides free end of life care for cancer patients, allowing patients to remain at home for the last days of their lives, surrounded by their families and loved ones.
Local support is available in communities across the country. The Irish Cancer Society works with local cancer support centres to ensure cancer patients have access to counselling.
Survivor Support is the Irish Cancer Society’s one-to-one support programme, providing emotional and practical support to newly diagnosed patients. All of our volunteers have had a cancer diagnosis and have been carefully selected and trained to give support, practical information and reassurance when needed most.
Our Volunteer Driver Service operates in 30 hospitals around the country. Our fleet of over 1,000 volunteer drivers provide free lifts to and from chemotherapy appointments for patients struggling with transportation.
In addition, we provide cancer patients with transportation assistance funds through our Travel2Care programme, made available by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and administered by the Society. This fund is available to patients travelling to the 8 designated cancer care centres in Ireland.
We also provide financial aid to families of children with cancer through the Children’s Fund, which supports parents of children who are undergoing cancer treatment and experiencing financial hardship.
We are the biggest provider of cancer information in Ireland and are a key source of trusted information on a range of topics including cancer types, treatments, side effects and coping with cancer.
