We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance remains committed to working with our partner organisations to ensure our patients retain access to cancer treatment and care during the coronavirus pandemic.

In order to safeguard patients and staff, and enable the best provision of care, some changes have been made to the way cancer services are delivered.

Many appointments are being held via telephone or video calls, some patients may need to receive their treatment at an alternative hospital site, and others may continue their treatment plan at home to reduce unnecessary hospital visits.

Please remember, it is important that you attend for any pre-arranged procedures and if you have any concerns regarding coronavirus, you should speak to a member of your clinical team.

If you require the information featured on this page in alternative formats, please click here.

Looking for coronavirus vaccine information in other languages?

Local GPs across the Humber and North Yorkshire have filmed an important message in multiple languages to encourage vaccine confidence and dispel vaccine myths and misinformation. The videos can be viewed on YouTube. More languages will be added over time, so if you’re looking for a language that isn’t currently there, please check back another time.

Worried about symptoms?

If you have any cancer symptoms such as a lump in your breast, changes in bowel habits, blood in pee or poo, unexplained weight loss, moles that appear to change or a cough that lasts more than three weeks, you should contact your GP via phone or online services.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Macmillan Cancer Support have produced some helpful information and guidance for people experiencing potential signs and symptoms of cancer during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Attending your appointment

If you are invited to a hospital or your GP surgery, it is important that you attend. The safety of both staff and patients is of paramount importance and control measures are in place to ensure maximum safety when accessing cancer services; this includes social distancing and PPE for both patients and staff.

For more information on what to expect, watch the videos below, featuring members of staff from Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

Concerned about cancer?

If you have any concerns regarding Covid-19 and your cancer treatment, please speak to a member of your clinical team.

For the latest government guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, please click here.

How to get the most from your virtual consultation

Patient appointments with healthcare staff by phone or video call – often known as virtual consultations – have increased hugely since the start of the pandemic and are likely to be here to stay. In this video from South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA), real-life patients share practical tips on how to overcome some of the concerns and get the most out of your virtual consultation.

Patients’ experiences of accessing services during Covid-19

We appreciate that changes to the way cancer services are being delivered may cause some people anxiety. Below are real patient experiences of accessing services during Covid-19.

picture of carol smiling and holding an award
picture of beckie stood on a bridge smiling
Picture of Zoe smiling

Carol

York Haematology Support Group founder Carol was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2004. Since then, Carol has used her experience to help others going through the same thing. Here’s Carol on attending the GP surgery and hospitals for tests during the pandemic.

Read Carol's story

Beckie

Beckie, 25, attended her very first cervical screening appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Beckie shares her experience of visiting her GP with the new measures in place and explains why it’s so important to attend an appointment if you’re invited.

Read Beckie's story

Zoe

Worried about the risk of infection, Zoe was anxious to attend a GP appointment but, after being reassured by the measures that had been put in place, Zoe is now urging others not to delay contacting their GP if they are experiencing signs and symptoms of cancer.

See Zoe's story

Learn how to spot the early signs of cancer

Early diagnosis saves lives. Sign up for one of our free Cancer Champions awareness sessions and we’ll equip you with the knowledge needed to raise awareness about cancer, engage in conversations which could help reduce the risk of cancer, and encourage early diagnosis.

The sessions are currently being held online so as long as you have a free 90 minutes, you’re able to attend from home.

Click here to find out more about our Cancer Champions programme.

Health and wellbeing support

If you still have questions or are in need of support, you may find the following pages helpful: