Living with and beyond cancer
Having cancer can have an impact on every aspect of your life and those close to you.
We aim to help you find the information and support services you need to help you physically, emotionally and practically and to live well with and beyond cancer treatment.
The living with and beyond cancer recovery package is a programme of personalised care designed to help you from your day of diagnosis, throughout your treatment, and beyond. It aims to empower you to feel supported and informed so you can make choices that improve your wellbeing and help you manage your condition.
The Recovery Package
The Recovery Package combines several interventions which improve care co-ordination and outcomes for individuals living with or after a cancer diagnosis.
It combines several interventions; Holistic Needs Assessment and Care Planning, Treatment Summary, Cancer Care Review and Health and Wellbeing Events. These elements form part of an overall support and self-management package for people affected by cancer.
There is more information on the main elements of the Recovery Package here. You can also discuss it with your Clinical Nurse Specialist or the Macmillan Advice and Guidance Service.
Stratified follow-up
Stratified follow-up is the process of placing individuals onto the best follow-up pathway according to their specific clinical and personal needs. It has a focus on promoting recovery and wellbeing. The individual will receive a personalised plan of care based on specific treatment information and Recovery Package interventions. This approach encourages patients to take an active role in their own care and ensures they are supported to self-manage their health. The aim is to improve patient experience and outcomes, and quality of care. It will also increase capacity in our hospital clinics as fewer patients will be coming in for unnecessary appointments.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital have an established Breast Stratified follow-up pathway as of December 2018.
Working with other Cancer Alliances across London, we are committed to implementing stratified models of follow-up in other cancer pathways.
We aim to embed stratified follow-up in prostate and colorectal cancer pathways by 2021 in line with national cancer guidelines.
Programmes of care following cancer treatment
You may find it helpful to join a programme that provides information to survivors and carers on how to adjust to life after cancer treatment. These are free and are run through the Macmillan Psychological support team (MAPS) and Living With and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) team at the Trust. The programmes focus on managing the side effects of treatment, diet, exercise, emotional health and self-care, returning to work, and information and support. Some of the available programmes are detailed below.
Next Steps
Next Steps is a six week self-management course designed for all cancer types and focusses on psychological, physical and social needs. The weekly sessions are completely confidential and take place in relaxed surroundings.
The course in brief:
- Six consecutive weeks
- Same time and same day
- Two hours per session
- Small groups (six to 12 people)
- Led by specialist cancer clinicians
- Same tutors each week
- Confidential environment with no interruptions.
Road to Resilience
Road to Resilience is a weekly psychological skills workshop with one session a week for four weeks. The aim is to enable those living with and beyond cancer to develop and apply skills that have been shown to have a positive impact on general wellbeing; including enhanced life meaning, life vitality and resilience.
The course is a mixture of presentations, individual exercises and group interaction where important skills can be learnt in a mutually supportive environment.
Adjusting to a new cancer diagnosis: managing and supporting your emotional wellbeing
Being diagnosed with cancer can be distressing and emotional and it can be hard to adjust changes that happen quickly.
Our webinars (virtual/online meetings) are open to everyone newly diagnosed to support your emotional wellbeing and resilience. It’s an opportunity to reflect on how you are feeling, hear useful tips on how to support yourself, and share with other people who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Find out more in this flyer including the dates and times of the webinars: Adjusting to a new cancer diagnosis [pdf] 133KB.
Your wellbeing as cancer treatment comes to an end: what to expect and how to cope
When cancer treatment comes to an end, you can experience a real mix of reactions. Some may be positive and others feel unexpected or difficult. Many find it challenging to move forward.
We have webinars (virtual/online meetings) open to everyone whose active cancer treatment is coming to an end or has ended, even if some time ago, and who are being monitored by their clinical team.
These happen every two months. All information, including dates and times, can be found in this flyer: Your wellbeing as cancer treatment comes to an end [pdf] 127KB.