Living with and beyond cancer

Following diagnosis, you will be allocated a Cancer Nurse Specialist (CNS). These are Key Workers who can;

• offer clinical expertise
• provision of emotional support
• co-ordinate services
• provide information & advice
• provide delivery of care & treatments
• provide physical, social, psychological & spiritual support
• support patients with distressing & disabling symptoms
• co-ordinate complex pathways.

Personalised Care and Support Planning (PCSP) helps people living with cancer to take an active and empowered role in the way their care is planned and delivered, with interventions and care tailored around the things that matter most to them.

It is achieved through a series of supportive conversations in which the patient, or someone who knows them well, actively participates to explore the management of their own health and well-being in the context of their life and family situation.

What are the benefits of PCSP?

Personalised Care and Support Planning will help you to:

• facilitate conversations with patients
• identify their needs (with Holistic Needs Assessments)
• develop a Personalised Care and Support Plan
• share the right information, at the right times
• signpost to local support services.

A Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) is an assessment and discussion you may have with someone from your healthcare team. Together, you talk through your needs and concerns. You then agree on a plan for your care and support needs.

It is called holistic because you can discuss any needs or concerns you have about any area of your life. It is not only about the physical symptoms of cancer or the side effects of treatment.

These concerns can be:

Physical         Emotional      Practical            Financial              Spiritual

• It can help you identify the concerns that are most important to you.
• It can help your healthcare team understand what is important to you.
• You can be referred to other services if you need more help or support.
• You can find out about local support groups.
• It can help you plan ahead

If you have not had a HNA please contact your Clinical team or LWBC at your local hospital.

A Cancer Care Review (CCR) is a conversation between a patient and their GP or    Practice Nurse about their cancer journey. It is essential to personalised care and helps patients to:

• talk about their cancer experience and concerns.
• understand what support is available in their community.
• receive the information they need to begin supported self-management.

It is carried out within three months of a cancer diagnosis and covers post-treatment support, financial impact of cancer, patient awareness of prescription exemptions, possible late effects of cancer and cancer treatment and information needs to enable self-management.

If you have a cancer diagnosis and you are yet to hear from your GP, you can contact your GP regarding a cancer care review. These normally take place from four weeks - three months from diagnosis.

A Treatment summary is a document formulated from Somerset (SCR) Cancer register. Somerset cancer register is a database which stores all its cancer records. The treatment summary is a simple summary of a patient’s cancer diagnosis, treatment, and an ongoing management plan. The treatment summary (T/S) is completed on the SCR database, shared with the patient, and emailed to the GP

The Treatment Summary template was designed by the National Cancer Survivorship      Initiative (NCSI). It is a document produced by secondary cancer care professionals at the point of when a management plan is agreed, at the end of treatment, change of treatment or if the patient is for best supportive care. It provides important information for GPs, including possible treatment toxicities, information about side effects and/or consequences of treatment, medication, signs, and symptoms of a recurrence, follow up and any actions for the GP and informs a cancer care review.

The patient also receives a copy to improve understanding of their condition and to provide a summary to share with other professionals and those of their choice, e.g., for travel  insurance purposes.

People who are living with cancer, and those who have had cancer, often have specific support needs. If these needs are not addressed, it can damage their long-term prognosis and their ability to lead an active and healthy life. These needs can include information about treatment and care options, psychological support, advice about financial assistance and support in managing their condition themselves. Carers also play a vital role in supporting people with cancer and it is important that their needs for information, advice and support are addressed.