Ovacome is a charitable incorporated organisation based in the UK which exists to support anyone affected by
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
. The charity's main office is located in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, with a regional hub in
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
.
It was founded in 1996 by Sarah Dickinson, who had been diagnosed with the disease and found that there was little to no support or information available. Over 25 years later, the charity operates on a national level and supports around 20,000 people each year.
Ovacome provides a range of support and information services, including:
* A telephone and email support line
* Online and in-person support groups
* A 24 hour
Healthunlocked
HealthUnlocked is a social networking service for health. The company uses health-specific artificial intelligence to support patients to better manage their own health, by recommending relevant and tailored health content, information and servic ...
forumLocal and digital events with expert speakers
* Information booklets and resources, written and reviewed by a panel of experts working in the field
In 2020, the charity expanded its support service to provide help in six additional languages widely spoken in the UK:
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
Urdu
Urdu (;["Urdu"](_blank)
'' Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
,
Punjabi and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
. Ovacome now offers telephone support lines and awareness materials in these languages.
The charity's services and information resources are supported by an expert advisory panel, made up of clinicians and
allied health professionals.
Ovacome also operates a number of programmes looking increase awareness of the symptoms and ovarian cancer, and improve quality of care. Ovacome is the only UK provider of the Survivors Teaching Students project, through which volunteers living with ovarian cancer share their experiences with medical and nursing students, identifying areas for improvement in diagnosis and care.
Ovacome has been recognised in several sector awards; the charity was shortlisted for the 2022 Charity Awards, 2022 Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards, and 2021
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
All in the Mind Awards.
References
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External links
Ovacome
Health charities in the United Kingdom