ABOUT 100 patients who are suffering from cancer and other long-term conditions could miss out on holistic therapies after two specialist electric beds broke down within days.

Patients who use The Trinity Holistic Centre, on the site of The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, were told their appointments for treatments like acupuncture, aromatherapy and reflexology, would be cancelled last week.

Some of the treatments, which are used to support patients through clinical treatment for cancer, and can ease some symptoms and side effects including anxiety and nausea, cannot be carried out without the specialist beds with electrical controls.

And the centre, which relies on charitable funds and needs £350,000 a year to keep it going, will now have to find another £2,200 to replace the specialist beds.

Although the breakdown will not affect patients' appointments for their conventional treatments, many are upset their complementary treatments have been cancelled.

Maureen Walker, 71, from Eston, had surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer at James Cook last year and more recently underwent chemotherapy for bowel cancer.

She now benefits from auricular acupuncture at the centre, which helps manage symptoms like hot flushes.

“You meet and make friends with so many other people who are going through the same thing as you – we are all in the same boat and it’s a lovely, friendly place to be,” said Ms Walker.

“If they don’t have these beds operating and they have to turn people away, it’s not nice for people as they are losing that support. People will really feel it.

“Hopefully, somebody will do something to get it going again as quickly as possible, because it’s such a wonderful place to come to.”

Helen McLean, business manager of the Trinity Holistic Centre, said the number of people accessing its services increased to more than 2,100 in the last financial year, inevitably causing wear and tear to equipment.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on patients, but whilst these therapy beds are out of action, more than 100 patients per month will be unable to access our highly valued massage and acupuncture clinics,” she said.

“Ensuring we have the safest and most appropriate therapy beds for many of our vulnerable patients is, unfortunately, incredibly expensive.

“We are now expecting to need to source an additional £2,200 to replace these beds to continue to provide support to the families accessing our services when they need us most.

“As a small charitable trust seeking to ensure as much money as possible goes directly to fund patient care, the cost of replacing broken equipment can be hugely prohibitive, and replacing two therapy beds is a massive financial challenge against our ongoing fundraising requirements.”

For more information on the Trinity Holistic Centre, visit www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/trinity-holistic-centre/