Nurse Led Cancer Helpline

Cancer Patient Support- Support People With Cancer

'Having a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming especially when first diagnosed the amount of information to take on board is overpowering.  Just knowing there is someone to support you outside of the hospital is so reassuring.' Anon 

Every year approximately 370, 000 people  are diagnosed with cancer in the UK. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is often a very difficult time in a person's life. We are on a mission to support these people by giving them a health professional to speak to. We wish to set up a nurse led helpline. We believe that being able to communicate with a nurse is a simple method that can make a huge difference to the mind set of someone going through cancer treatment, it will give them emotional support and help support their well being. There may also be practical help trying to understand pathways and procedures and help with terminology.

The Pandemic

People with cancer have been impacted severely by the pandemic. Many have had delays in diagnosis or treatment commencing so for some, treatments will be more intensive. People with cancer and their carers need support both physically and mentally. A diagnosis of cancer can be a frightening experience meaning people can feel quite isolated as they may not know anyone else who is having to face the same challenges and mix of emotions. A nurse led support service is a way that we can really make that difference.

UCARE, as a smaller charity was hard hit during the pandemic as many of our funding streams halted overnight so we experienced a loss of income. We also couldn’t get to the community and had to quickly adapt the way we supported people by moving online. We successfully did this and it has been a real positive to the people and communities we serve. However, people really do need us and we need to gain more funding to proceed with projects like this. Being able to set up a helpline will ultimately help us reach our longer term goals and be a real asset to the people and communities in which we work.

At UCARE, we  to are here to support people with cancer in every way we can.

Reducing Isolation

The mental health of people with cancer is very important in terms of how they cope with their cancer treatment. It has been especially important during the pandemic as there are less face to face to appointments and services. People are much more isolated and lonely, there is a backlog now of people waiting for cancer treatments and therefore they are at a risk of depression. Being able to access a health professional quickly who has a sound knowledge and experience of what they are going through is really useful. It is also important that they can access this service from the comfort of their own homes. We will be collaborating with other charities and local services to ensure that people are signposted to the best services for their individual needs.

Improving Quality of Life 

This UCARE project aims to improve the patient experience and quality of life as well as making systems more cost effective and efficient. People with cancer will have their needs met in a more timely manner. With increased focus on health and well being, people will be able to make healthier lifestyle choices and improve their quality of life.

Empowerment

This request is really important as it impacts on both the patients ability to self manage, feel empowered due to increased knowledge as well as improve their all round health and well being. It also impacts on the NHS as it frees up the system to see patients that have greater and more complex needs as well as getting new patients seen in a more timely manner. Early diagnosis saves lives. 

Patients often suffer huge anxiety when attending the hospital and again this plan will reduce the number of visits they have to attend at the hospital. 

Who Will This Help?

This work will be aimed at people who have symptoms they are concerned about,  have just been diagnosed with cancer, going through treatment and beyond. They can be of any age (adults as well as carers). We will be mainly targeting people with urological cancer (prostate, testicular, bladder, kidney cancer) but the helpline can signpost people with other cancers to appropriate sources of support. 

The Difference

This project will make a real difference to people with cancer and their carers. The focus is on health and improving the well being of people with cancer who are facing a very difficult time in their lives. 

The nurse led helpline will  provide reassurance, information, signposting and positivity which will help to support their mental health and reduce social isolation which has been so hard for people cancer during the pandemic. This will not only impact on the person with cancer but also on their families. The outcome will be for people with cancer to be offered solutions for self management so that they feel empowered and can cope better. 

A nurse led helpline will improve the patient experience and quality of life. UCARE is here to provide information and support people at a time when they need it most.

UCARE- Finding New Ways To Fight Cancer. Every Penny Counts