The Spring 2021 edition of the Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance Newsletter is now available.
It features the experiences of local people diagnosed with cancer, details on the innovations helping diagnose cancer earlier, information on support available for those affected by cancer, and more.
Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance is pleased to offer free Cancer Demystified webinar training for staff working in cancer services at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
Cancer Demystified training aims to provide both clinical and non-clinical colleagues with a wider understanding of cancer and the associated terminology. The sessions, which can be accessed online and last around 60 minutes, help build confidence to have potentially difficult conversations about cancer with those affected by it. Each webinar covers a different topic, from the staging and grading of cancer and how chemotherapy works, to in-depth descriptions of different cancer types and more. A link to the full list of modules can be found here.
The free sessions are available to Trust staff working in cancer services until 31st March 2022.
For more information and to sign up, email [email protected].
Update (30th October 2020): The NHS Lung Health Check Service, which was due to re-start in Hull on 3rd November 2020, will continue to be paused due to Covid-19. Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance is in on-going discussions with partner organisations regarding the re-start and will provide more information once available.
Healthcare professionals across the Humber, Coast and Vale (HCV) region are appealing for the public to contact their GP if they are worried about a symptom that could be cancer, as new research found that nearly half (48%) of the public would delay or not seek medical help at all.
A fifth (22%) would not want to be a burden on the health service while a similar number said that fear of getting coronavirus or passing it onto others was a major reason for not getting help.
Health and care professionals from across the HCV region, have pulled out all the stops to keep cancer services going
Dr Dan Cottingham, CRUK GP Lead
throughout the pandemic, with over 90% of patients urgently referred being seen by a specialist within two weeks.
Dr Dan Cottingham, Cancer Research UK GP Lead for HCV Cancer Alliance said: “People should not hesitate to get help if they are worried about a symptom that may be cancer, such as:
“Cancer is easier to treat when it’s caught at an earlier stage and we are asking members of the public to help us help you by coming forward for a check that could save your life.” Dr Stuart Baugh, Clinical Director for HCV Cancer Alliance said:
“People who have already been invited for an appointment are encouraged to attend, whether that be a routine screening appointment, an invitation for treatment or an appointment with your GP.
“Healthcare providers have introduced a range of measures to ensure the safety of patients and staff, including the use of PPE, COVID-secure areas, and phone or virtual appointments.
“To highlight the measures that have been put in place at Trusts within the HCV region, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust have created virtual ‘walkthrough’ videos and patients are advised to watch the video or contact their medical team should they have any concerns about accessing NHS services during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
Click here to view our September 2020 stakeholder update.
Click here to read the latest edition of Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance News.
In this edition, we hear from Dr Stuart Baugh, Clinical Director of Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance as he outlines our plans for recovery and highlights the importance of attending hospital appointments when invited.
Find out about a new Quality of Life survey which launches in September, read about our new virtual Cancer Champion awareness sessions and discover our new online hub where those living with and beyond cancer, their friends and family, or anyone with questions or concerns about accessing NHS services can find useful, reliable and up to date information.
If you would like to feature in our next edition, please email [email protected][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Dr Dan Cottingham has been confirmed as the new CRUK GP Lead for Humber, Coast and Vale (HCV) Cancer Alliance.
The appointment of Dr Cottingham, Macmillan GP Cancer and End of Life Lead Vale of York CCG and partner at Sherburn Group Practice, will ensure primary care perspectives remain integral to Cancer Alliance strategic plans and pathway development.
By leading a strong network of primary care clinical leaders and engaging with wider GP communities from across the Alliance, Dr Cottingham will work collaboratively to support the ambitions of HCV Cancer Alliance, focussing on system wide transformations that improve patient outcomes.
Dr Cottingham said: “I’m thrilled to be working with the Alliance as GP Lead for Cancer within the Humber, Coast and Vale region.
“For years I’ve been passionate about patient led care and one of the key areas I’d like to drive forwards is ensuring the patient experience of cancer pathways is central to planning and decision-making within the Alliance.”
Patients in Humber, Coast and Vale can access medical advice and help from their GP – without needing to visit their local GP practice in person or wait on the phone.
The free online GP practice service, which can be used at any time of the day, can save people time because it removes the need for them to make unnecessary phone calls or trips to their GP practice to request the help they need. The confidential online service can be used by anyone registered with a GP practice and is accessible via smartphone, tablet or computer.
Patients using the service will be able to:
To access the online service, patients can visit their GP practice website and follow the simple instructions. They can use the search tool at nhsonline.info to find their GP practice website and more information about GP online services.
Dr Nigel Wells, a GP and Clinical Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said:
“The free GP practice online service gives patients much more flexibility and choice in how and when they access healthcare.
“People with busy lives often struggle to find the time to contact their GP practice to request help, so this service offers them the convenience of accessing GP services online, at a time that suits them.
“This means patients can avoid unnecessary trips to their GP practice for non-urgent health issues, and they won’t need to spend time waiting on the phone, as requesting medical advice and administrative tasks such as managing repeat prescriptions and getting test results can now be managed online.
“This service does not replace face-to-face appointments, which will continue to be available for anyone who needs them. By people accessing services online when it’s appropriate to do so, it frees up face-to-face GP appointments for those people who really need them.”
For patients requesting online consultations, symptoms can be submitted via a simple online form. They will then get a response from their GP practice within 1-2 working days. This could be via email, phone or video call.
The response from your GP surgery could include medical advice, the offer of a face-to-face appointment or referral to another health service, such as your local pharmacy.
You should contact the NHS 111 service if you require urgent medical attention, or call 999 or visit your nearest A&E department in an emergency.
To access the GP online service, visit your GP practice website.
You can use the search tool at nhsonline.info to find your GP practice website and find out more about GP online services.
Hospital trusts across Humber, Coast and Vale region have been working hard to respond to the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the safety and quality of services for cancer patients.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are putting arrangements in place to maintain capacity and provide high quality services for COVID-19 patients whilst cautiously increasing other urgent clinical services, important diagnostics, and surgery.
Dr Stuart Baugh, Clinical Director for Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance wants to reassure those patients who may be worried about coming into hospital at this time, that everything is being done to ensure patients’ safety and to support patients to understand what they should do when accessing services:
“Like the rest of the NHS, our number one priority for the last few months has been ensuring that all those who need urgent care – not only those with coronavirus – have been able to get it when they need it.
We will continue to ask patients to attend hospital only when it is really necessary. Where possible, appointments may be through video or over the phone.
If you are required to come to hospital you will be asked to take steps that reduce the risk of coronavirus being spread to staff and other patients.
This may include isolating at home for 14 days before admission for planned care (including day surgery), and only attending outpatient appointments if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus.”
“The health and wellbeing of all staff and patients remains our highest priority as we work to increase critical non COVID-19 services, and new ways of working are being put in place to ensure that our focus on safety remains.”
A national framework on reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in hospitals has been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance are working with local trusts to finalise an implementation plan for what that means for how we run cancer services across the region.
The priority is to minimise the transmission rate for the virus, with the aim of getting as close to zero as possible.
Email: [email protected]
Address: Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, Health House, Grange Park Lane, Willerby, Hull HU10 6DT
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