Cancer referral

[purpleboy]

My 86 year old father, with numerous underlying health issues, has today been given a referral to the neck and head cancer clinic, an appointment will be made in the next 2 weeks for him.
The clinic is at the main hospital in our city where they are treating Coronavirus patients.
AIBU to think the DR must be pretty sure it's cancer in order to send him to the hospital for tests where he could get infected with a probable (for him) deadly virus?
Any advice welcome as it's making me sick with worry.

Hi OP, you must be very worried but please be reassured. In my Trust they have basically totally segregated the oncology dept, no staff or patients who absolutely don’t have to be there are allowed in and they are cancelling things that don’t need to be taking place. He will likely be checked for his temperature before entry as will everyone else and anyone with a temperature or symptoms will be turned away. It’s very important that he attends, otherwise they wouldn’t have referred him. I really hope you get some good news.

He'll be completely separate from the COVID patients. I don't think he'll be particularly at risk of infection OP although I totally understand your concerns.

I think in most hospitals they are completely isolating the Covid-19 wards and using different entrances and exits. I get your worries but they are reading the foot fall in hospitals at the moment. It's a worrying time and I hope your dad gets the all clear

Reducing not reading

In the trust where I work all 2 week rule referrals are being seen as usual so I’d say that he must meet the criteria for referral but that doesn’t mean the doctor is ‘pretty sure’ it’s cancer, only that it’s a possibility and actually most two week wait referrals turn out not to be cancer in the end. I know it’s difficult but I’m sure the staff seeing him will do their absolute best to get him in and out of the hospital as quickly and as safely as possible. Hope it all goes well and he gets the all clear

Hi OP just seconding what randomness12 said - our local hospital has moved oncology to a different building and people are only going in if they have to.
The paediatric unit has also been moved away from A&E. Hospitals are quiet (outside of covid wards)
I get your worry but honestly I’m sure the hospital side of things will be fine.

Thank you all so much, that really puts my mind at rest. I was really hoping I was just overthinking it and that there would be procedures in place. Having not set foot in a hospital since this all began I had no idea what to expect.
Thank you also for your well wishes 🤞🏼 it's not serious.

Sorry another question for anyone who knows, will he be allowed someone to accompany him? He is loosing his faculties a little bit and I think he would be quite stressed and scared on his own.

I had to go to a hospital today, to take an elderly relative. It's all empty, there are definitely covid patients there but where they are is separate from where they are having vulnerable outpatients in. In our hospital, visitors aren't allowed and outpatients must attend alone if poss. In our case, not poss, but I didn't get stopped and nobody questioned me throughout the five times I've been in during lockdown with him.

I'd be more worried if he didn't get his referral, sounds like he's being well looked after and that's the most important thing. Most of us are more likely to die of cancer at some stage of our lives than coronavirus.

Covid patients are completely isolated from the rest I’m sure even more so on any cancer treatment departments.. I went to a&e with DS last night. Weirdly I felt safer there than I did at the supermarket this morning. The hospital was empty but the supermarket was packed and people not social distancing!

Thank you for the reassurance. Hopefully he will be allowed someone in with him, I guess it will give us all the info we need on the letter.
It was scary enough thinking about the impact Corona could have on him, without adding this to it.

OP, if for infection control reasons they really insist you can't accompany him and you feel he won't grasp what's going on fully or give an accurate history, see if they will put the phone in the clinic room on speakerphone during the consultation while you stay on the other end. (Send a note in with him to ask for this if there's no better alternative.) And yes, the two-week wait appointments follow a protocol; it doesn't mean they necessarily have a high suspicion of cancer. Hope it all turns out well.

Thank you slug that's a great idea I hadn't thought about that.