Cancer Appointments & COVID

[Frankie789]

Hi all,

I’m currently based in NW England (Cheshire) I’ve recently had a close family member being diagnosed with cancer. This was difficult for them to hear whilst alone in an appointment due to covid and the initial consultations with the oncologist to discuss treatment options have been by themselves. Whilst I appreciate this is to minimise covid risk I can’t understand why the local hospital cannot take the same approach to appointments of this nature to that of the maternity services requesting all patients and one support person to be allowed on evidence of a negative lateral flow. I feel this would be beneficial to the patient themselves and support person to understand what has been said / ask questions etc.

I’m trying to understand if this is an isolated issue or U.K. wide - Can you please advise in the comments what your local policy is and location in the U.K. / NHS trust

Thank you!

I have cancer and been allowed to take a family member (mostly DH and DM) to surgeon and oncologist appointments to discuss treatment. No lateral flow tests required for any visits, just wear masks. After surgery I was allowed a brief visits by my DH at the discretion of the ward sister when I was moved to a side room on the ward. I am in the north east of England.

I have also been able to take a family member to the day chemo unit while I am given my chemo infusions, but this is at a smaller hospital not the main hospital where it wasn't allowed. I have also had some Oncologist appointments by telephone too.

Looking at my hospital trust website it says that all patient visiting has been suspended, but when I went to a follow-up appointment with my surgeon in September most people were accompanied by a relative and both were allowed to attend. Could you just turn up and see what happens?

Has your relative been assigned a Macmillan nurse / Clinical Nurse Specialist? My DH found these nurses really helpful at explaining and sorting things out.

I am in East of England with stage 3 cancer and not allowed anyone with me at all. I think its pretty inhumane.

I’ve been diagnosed with cancer twice in the last 18 months. I’ve always been able to take someone with me to appointments. They have to wait outside in corridor until I’m called in, but they can come to the appointment. I had to go to my operations by myself, though.

I’m in London.

Leeds, mother currently in investigation stages for Lung cancer (but for staging and treatment rather than confirmation iykwim).

She's been able to have a plus one to all hospital appointments. She's been having monitoring for years so has attended chest xrays, blood tests and scans by herself. Our only concern was way back in January when she had a telephone consult but they couldn't give a specific time so she was on her own for that which was bad news.

She has another appointment next week where they'll be outlining the treatment plan, I'm her plus 1. I don't know the protocols for ward visiting.

She is likely to be spending at least 5 days in ICU before transferring to a ward.. Selfish as this sounds I am feeling relieved that I will not be able visit while she's in ICU - she had similar surgery a few years ago and reacted badly to the drugs and was like a wild thing for 48 hours. She doesn't remember that but it was the worst part of the whole process as her plus 1.

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble op - have you tried just turning up with a friend/family member?

I'm in the NW (Lancashire) and was not allowed to bring anyone with me to the appointment where I received my diagnosis (melanoma) or subsequent treatment discussion. I also wasn't allowed to have my DH there when I was admitted as a daycase for a WLE/sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Having someone there for appointments and post-surgery would have been helpful, as I certainly didn't retain all of the information I was given or remember to ask some of the things I had wanted to.

I was also pretty groggy post-surgery and they told me lots of important things about when/where to attend the wound clinic and info about my stitches that I was unable to retain, and had to call the ward up the following day for a re-cap. It would have been so much easier if they could have just explained all of this to my DH upon discharge, but he wasn't even allowed on the ward to pick me up. They asked him to wait in a waiting area, and a porter took me down to him.

I think not being allowed in ward for pickup after even major surgery is normal now. I was escorted out to main waiting area by a nurse every time.

...all whilst the Tories Party and laugh at us plebs

I'm sorry for your troubles op

I've had 3 x 2 week cancer pathway referrals since January and it's so horrible having to go to these appointments and for treatment on your own.

I have cancer and I'm allowed DH with me for oncologist appointments so long as I let them know beforehand. I'm not in the diagnosis stage though, so he doesn't always come.

At a recent hospital stay, DH could book an hour slot to visit me on the ward, and once I had a side room they even let my kids visit (I did beg tbf!). I'm still in hosp in a neighbouring PCT and there are no visitors allowed on the ward at all here, not even to pick you up. I don't know of this is recent in light of Omicron though.

Seems to vary from trust to trust. I'm in Yorkshire.