Local Cancer Patients Benefiting from Nurse-Led Acupuncture Services

Sussex Cancer Fund is proud to support innovative, compassionate services that help people cope with the physical and emotional impact of cancer and its treatment. One of these services is acupuncture, delivered by experienced oncology and palliative care nurses across Sussex, helping patients manage symptoms including pain, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, hot flushes, dry mouth and treatment-related side effects.

The importance of this work has recently been highlighted in a published article in Nursing Times, Medical acupuncture in healthcare: nurse perspectives and implementation, written by nurses and acupuncturists Josephine Darling, Caroline Clews, Wendy Walker and Anna Joseph. The article explores how acupuncture is being successfully integrated into cancer and palliative care services across Sussex and the significant difference it is making to patients’ quality of life.

With support from Sussex Cancer Fund, Anna, Josie and Wendy work together through the Community-based Acupuncture Service (CBAS) and other local services to provide free acupuncture sessions for people living with cancer. The service combines clinical expertise with holistic support, offering tailored symptom management delivered by nurses who understand the realities of cancer treatment and recovery.

Feedback from patients has been overwhelmingly positive, with many describing life-changing improvements in their wellbeing.

One patient, who had experienced severe long-term side effects following treatment for head and neck cancer, shared how acupuncture transformed his daily life:

“The morning following my first session the headache was gone and I haven’t had one since. This is massively life changing. Additionally I had saliva in my mouth sufficient to converse effortlessly without the need for punctuating water breaks. I also have an increase in my level of taste. I 100% attribute this to the acupuncture and cannot recommend it highly enough. It saved my life.”

Another patient described how treatment helped reduce anxiety and rebuild confidence:

“Both practitioners were excellent and I genuinely felt a reduction in my symptoms of anxiety. I was able to make some significant changes in stepping outside of my comfort zone to try new things because my anxiety had reduced so much.”

Patients also highlighted the value of being treated by clinicians with specialist oncology experience:

“Anna’s experience as an oncology nurse meant she really understood what I was going through. Having her expertise meant such a lot in terms of both my engagement with the treatment but the overall experience.”

Others spoke about improvements in pain, wellbeing and emotional resilience:

“Having acupuncture has been a very positive experience for me. My symptoms have improved so very much.”

“I really appreciated my time at CBAS. Sharing my experiences and feelings during the treatment time was very helpful to me.”

“It is definitely another amazing alternative to tackle pain.”

The Nursing Times article reports that 80% of patients surveyed after six weeks of treatment experienced improvements in general wellbeing, while 70% of those receiving acupuncture for hot flushes reported reduced symptoms.

David Witham, Fund Manager for Sussex Cancer Fund, said:

“At Sussex Cancer Fund, we are passionate about supporting projects that improve quality of life for local people living with cancer. Acupuncture is a wonderful example of compassionate, patient-centred care that can make a genuinely life-changing difference. Hearing directly from patients about reduced pain, improved wellbeing and renewed confidence shows exactly why services like this matter so much. We are incredibly proud to support the dedicated nurses delivering this care across Sussex.”

The charity hopes the growing recognition of acupuncture within cancer care will help expand access to more people across Sussex in the future.