Maggie's Centres – an innovative approach to support cancer patients

This article presents an innovative approach to providing different types of support for cancer patients originating from the UK. These are provided by Maggie's centres, which date back to the 1990s. The subject of this study is a selection of centres located in London. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the history of the centres, their ideas and strategies, and to illustrate how the emotional, psychological and practical support offered to cancer patients and their loved ones has been 'clothed' in a new avant-garde architectural form, a completely non-institutional derivative of healthcare buildings. This article is based on in situ research, observation of the operation of one of the centres and interviews with its users. A detailed study of Maggie's centres, an understanding of their ideas and effects improving the quality of life of cancer patients, can serve as an inspiration for the Polish healthcare system. Particularly in the context of the current situation, which clearly shows the prevalence of cancer among Poles and in the context of significant shortages of state-of-the-art treatment methods in Poland, as well as necessary changes to lead to an improvement in the quality of medical services in the field of oncology.