Skip to main content
Category

Personalised Care

Apr 23

Cancer Care Centres adapt services to offer continued support during COVID-19

By Personalised Care

Across the Humber, Coast and Vale region, Macmillan Information Centres are adjusting what they do to continue to provide valuable support for those affected by cancer.

While the centres are temporarily closed, people with cancer can be assured that support is still available. Cancer Care Centres at York Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are offering support to patients, their families and friends over the phone.

Pat Chennells, Macmillan Information Facilitator for Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole Hospitals, said:

“It’s understandable that those affected by cancer may be anxious about the impact of coronavirus but I want people to know they are not alone. Macmillan Cancer Support has placed COVID-19 guidance on their website, and Cancer Care Centres within the Humber, Coast and Vale region have adapted their services to ensure emotional support is still available via telephone. I’d like to encourage people to get in touch if they are worried about the impact of COVID-19. We are still here to provide a listening ear and offer support to those who need it.”

Here is the information needed to contact each Cancer Care Centre during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cancer Care Centre at York Hospital 

Telephone: 01904 721 166
Lines open between Monday and Friday, 9am – 4.30pm.

Cancer Information and Support Service at Scarborough Hospital

Telephone: 01723 342 606
Lines open between Monday and Friday, 9am – 4.30pm.

Macmillan Information Centre at Queens Centre, Castle Hill Hospital

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01482 461154
Lines open between Monday and Friday, 9am – 4.30pm.

Macmillan Cancer Information Support Centre for Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole Hospitals

Telephone: 03033 305372 or 07858 924283
Lines open between Monday and Friday, 9am – 4.40pm.

Apr 17

Support for people with cancer during coronavirus

By Personalised Care

If you’re someone affected by cancer, it’s understandable you might be worried about coronavirus. While the nation stays at home, the pandemic is changing how organisations offer their help, but it doesn’t mean support is unavailable.

Below are some of the organisations where patients and others affected by cancer can find help and support from the safety of their homes – both local and national.

Local groups

Lindsey Lodge Hospice

On Facebook, Lindsey Lodge Hospice is sharing positive fundraising stories. The hospice is also posting some tips and ideas for ways to fundraise from your home, as well as competitions and fun activities for all ages to take part in.

York Against Cancer

The York-based charity is sharing positive stories and fundraising inspiration to lift spirits during this difficult time. They’re also providing details of organisations cancer patients can get in touch with, via phone or video call, for support if they’re struggling. There’s also a York Against Cancer Fun and Friendship Facebook group. Join for light-hearted content and keeping in touch with other patients.

York Breast Friends

The support group for those diagnosed with breast cancer is continuing with its usual agenda of support, fun, and friendship. While its monthly meetings aren’t currently happening, there are plenty of ways its members can stay in touch. York Breast Friends has its own private chat group, and is offering a variety of online, virtual and telephone services for its members.

HER Breast Friends

HER Breast Friends is for women and others diagnosed with breast cancer in Hull and East Riding. Each week on its Facebook, the group is hosting a number of activities, including a midweek quiz and, in collaboration with NHS staff, a social distancing Reiki session.

National groups

Macmillan Living With and Beyond Cancer Team

The team at Macmillan Living With and Beyond Cancer usually confidence-boosting workshops for anyone living with or beyond cancer. These workshops are now available at home, via online interactive video calls of around 8-10 people. Learn tips that’ll help you feel like you again, chat to others, and have all your questions answered.

Learn more about the workshops here.

Bowel Cancer UK

Bowel Cancer UK has launched a Coronavirus Hub on its website, offering health information, emotional wellbeing tips, event updates, and further resources for everyone affected by bowel cancer. This includes a handy coronavirus glossary, which explains the difference between shielding, self-isolation, and social distancing.

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only UK lung cancer charity dedicated to helping everyone affected by the disease. This page on the charity’s website has information specifically for lung cancer patients during the pandemic, as well as creative ideas for fundraising, without putting yourself or others in danger.

CLLSA

On Facebook, CLLSA is hosting live video Q&As with health professionals to address any concerns that Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia patients and their families may have regarding COVID-19. The group is also sharing up to date advice for patients to follow during the pandemic.

Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer UK’s website has all the details about coronavirus for men who have, or have had, prostate cancer. The charity’s specialist nurses are also available to chat to for any patients whose questions aren’t answered on the page, or for anyone looking for some extra support.

We’re always on the lookout for support groups to share with our community. If you’re part of a group that hasn’t been mentioned here, please get in touch at [email protected] and we’d be happy to shout about what you do.

Feb 19

Embedding Personalised Care for Haematology Cancer Patients

By Personalised Care

 

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A recent National Cancer Patient Experience Survey reported that 30% of haematology patients at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (YTHFT) had been given a care plan. In response, the Living With and Beyond Cancer team at YTHFT launched an Improvement Collaborative project which aims to increase the number of care plans being offered to haematology cancer patients.

A process mapping session with key stakeholders showed the Living With and Beyond Cancer team how Holistic Needs Assessments (HNA) were currently being offered to patients. Being able to establish key areas for improvement allowed the team to work with haematology staff to formulate and create a clinic which offered all newly diagnosed cancer patients an electronic Holistic Needs Assessment (eHNA) and development of a care plan.

A HNA is a questionnaire that helps to identify a person’s needs and concerns. It informs the development of a personalised care and support plan.

Christine Norris, Cancer Improvement and Performance Manager at YTHFT, said: “Prior to the project the cancer nurse specialist would consider who would benefit most from completing a HNA. Through the project, we are now offering all patients who are diagnosed with haematological cancer the opportunity to complete an eHNA and develop a care plan to suit their needs.”

Qualitative and quantitative data was recorded to measure the impact of the project and every patient that received a care plan was also given a questionnaire which asked about their HNA experience.

Bianca Cipriano, Macmillan Project Manager at YTHFT, said:

“With the patient feedback, we are working closely with the Haematology team to look at how we can keep continuing to improve the experience of the patient.”

The video used to present the project at a NHS Cancer Improvement Collaborative event provides more information about the project:

To find out more about Holistic Need Assessments, please click here.

Feb 06

‘The contraceptive coil saved my life.’ Hull Mum diagnosed with cervical cancer following a visit to a sexual health clinic.

By Personalised Care

Sarah Weichardt (43) was up to date with her cervical screenings and never had any report back for abnormal cells. Just before her 42nd birthday, Sarah visited a sexual health clinic after she was experience slight spotting after sex which she thought were being caused by her contraceptive coil. Concerned that the problems were being caused by something else, the sexual health nurse referred Sarah for a colposcopy, a simple procedure used to look at the cervix, and within a couple of weeks Sarah was diagnosed with stage 3 Cervical Cancer.

The mother-of-two began treatment within a month of her diagnosis and after receiving radiotherapy and five sessions of chemotherapy at Castle Hill Hospital, Sarah was given the all clear.

Having struggled with her cancer diagnosis, Sarah found support from the Living With and Beyond Cancer team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and benefited from some of the services provided, including; complimentary therapies (reflexology and massage), diet and exercise programmes. As part of her ongoing rehabilitation, Sarah continues to attend some of the programmes on offer and decided to fundraise for the Living With and Beyond cancer service, at Castle Hill Hospital and the Gynaecology and Smear not Fear teams at the Women and Children’s hospital raising £3,000 in just 12 months. Sarah also set up a Facebook page ‘Cancer Support – Hull & East Riding‘ to help those diagnosed with cancer in Hull and the East Riding area to find support.

Sarah said: “I wanted to share my story to encourage others to visit a healthcare professional if they believe something isn’t right – regardless of whether you are up to date with your cancer screening appointments. After receiving my diagnosis, I struggled to find support and found it hard to meet anyone else who was around my age and going through a similar journey.  I’m grateful for the ongoing support of the Living With and Beyond team at Castle Hill and the gynaecology team at the Women and Children’s hospital and wanted to fundraise for them to help make sure others can continue to receive the same help. My Facebook page has been a great way to meet and support others and I welcome anyone affected by cancer to join it.”

Click here to find out more about the Living With and Beyond Cancer Programme at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Sep 05

Cancer patients at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are set to benefit from a new Treatment Summary.

By Personalised Care

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have developed and launched a Cancer Treatment Summary document.

The Treatment Summary is a document produced by secondary cancer care professionals at the end of a patient’s treatment. The summary is given to the person affected by cancer and will be shared with their GP.

It provides important information, including information about side effects and/or consequences of treatment, signs and symptoms of a recurrence and any actions needed to be taken by the GP.

Treatment Summaries facilitate a standardised and consistent approach to sharing crucial information between primary and secondary care and the person living with cancer. It helps inform the Cancer Care Review discussion between patient and GP and ensures that GPs are aware of the patients’ current circumstances following treatment.

Treatment Summaries can be used and shared with other healthcare professionals.

Bianca Cipriano, Macmillan Recovery Package Project Manager for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The process of developing this document has seen considerable collaboration between various departments, organisations and people affected by cancer. It has been time consuming but worthwhile however the final document utilises existing information and pre-populates the documentation.  The Treatment Summary is personalised and sits alongside other interventions, such as the Holistic Needs Assessments & Care Planning to support self-management.”

Alison Cockerill, Living with and Beyond Programme Manager for Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance, said:

“York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are to be commended for developing and making Treatment Summaries available for all cancer patients going forward.

The development of the Treatment Summaries was supported by the provision of Transformation Funding from the Living With and Beyond Cancer programme. Recognising the importance and the scale of the challenge of developing treatment summaries for all patients with cancer regardless of the tumour site and treatment, the trust’s Living with and Beyond team were able to use Cancer Alliance Transformation Funding to provide dedicated IT time to enable the work to take place.

This is just one example of the implementation of the Living With and Beyond Cancer programme which are taking place across Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance and contributes to our vision of ‘Achieving world class cancer outcomes for our communities’.”

Aug 01

Queens Centre Awarded Macmillan Quality Environment Mark

By Personalised Care

The Queens Centre at Castle Hill Hospital has been awarded the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM). Created by Macmillan Cancer Support, the MQEM is a detailed quality framework used for assessing whether cancer care environments meet the standards required by people living with cancer.

This is the third time that the Queens Centre for Oncology and Haematology has been successful in receiving this award, having already achieved the required standards in 2013 and 2016.

Queens Centre

In meeting Level 5 MQEM standards, Queens Centre has demonstrated to users of its environment that it is:

> welcoming and accessible to all
> respectful of people’s privacy and dignity
> supportive to users’ comfort and well-being
> giving choice and control to people using your service
> listening to the voice of the user.

The MQEM assessment report evidenced that there was an ‘extremely high appreciation of the building, the services and the care provided by staff’ and it was noted that ‘team working across all disciplines of staff  including cleaners, nurses, volunteers, doctors, radiologists and pharmacists means the patient is at the heart of the services provided. This was noticeable at all levels of the organisation and helps create the family atmosphere that was observed within the hospital.’ A view echoed by Carol Rogers, Trust Lead Cancer Management Support Officer at the Queens Centre. Carol said:

“Whilst carrying out the MQEM assessment, I spoke with patients and staff members at the centre and was overwhelmed by the feedback. Patients noted that all staff, whether in a cleaning, catering or clinical role, are supportive and it was clear to see the sense of pride that each staff member has to work here.”

Carol Rogers and Julie Watson

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“I am delighted that our Queens Centre has, once again, been awarded this prestigious award.  It is testament to the hard working and dedicated staff that we have in our Trust.

It is even more significant to the Trust that we have achieved this for the third time running and that the award is measured on our patients’ feedback of our services.”

Julie Watson, Macmillan Lead Cancer Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“Undertaking the assessment process was once again a very positive experience and we are pleased that the Queens Centre continues to be recognised as a supportive environment for patients, where their voices are heard and reflected within the work we do and the changes we make. We always strive to ensure that we get the best out of our environment and to make sure that the care pathway is the best it can be for the patient.”

All three acute hospital trusts within the Humber, Coast and Vale region (Hull University Teaching Hospital, York Teaching Hospital and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust) have been awarded the MQEM award since it began in 2010.

For more information about MQEM, please visit https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/health-professionals/programmes-and-services/mqem

Jul 30

Free make-up and skincare session for people undergoing cancer treatment

By Personalised Care, Uncategorised

People who are going through cancer treatment will have the chance to feel a bit more like their usual selves this week as experts come together for a special event.

The Personalised Care team from Castle Hill Hospital will be joining the Boots Macmillan Team to provide advice on everything from diet and exercise to skincare, make up, support groups and more.

The event will take place in Boots St Stephen’s, Hull, between 10am and 3pm on Thursday 1st August.

Visitors can expect top tips on how to apply make-up while undergoing treatment and how best to care for sensitive skin from experts representing top brands including No7, Dior, Liz Earle, Bare Minerals, Lancôme and Clinique.

Clinical experts, meanwhile, will also be on hand to talk people through the more practical and physical elements of coping with cancer.

Claire Walker, Macmillan Associate Practitioner with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Living With and Beyond Cancer Team says:

“We understand that going through cancer treatment can be a really worrying time, and people have all sorts of questions from ‘will I lose my hair?’ to ‘how will I pay the bills’ and everything in between.

“Our clinical team will be on hand to talk to people about life after cancer treatment, and that’s everything from fatigue and physical recovery to emotional support and activity groups to get involved with.

“Patients also worry about the side effects of cancer treatment and how this might impact on their looks and their sense of identity. Some people suffer from dry skin or can no longer wear the makeup they used to wear, while some lose their eyebrows as a result of their treatment and would like advice on how to draw them on.

“The Boots Macmillan Team are very sensitive to and very experienced in helping people with these kinds of issues, and with the help of some top brand cosmetics, they’re looking forward to sharing their knowledge and helping visitors look and feel more like their old selves again.”

For more information, contact the Living With and Beyond Cancer team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on 01482 461091.

 

Skip to content