Patients who are about to start chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool are now benefiting from new group sessions that help them understand what to expect.
[Note: Systemic anti-cancer therapies are medicines that treat cancer. There are several different types of SACT including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies.]
The sessions aim to give every patient the chance to learn more about what will happen during their treatment, how the treatment works, practical advice and tips to help them manage their treatment, dealing with common side-effects and what to do if they become unwell.
Each group is led by specially-trained SACT nurses from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and includes presentations, individual conversations and health checks. During the sessions, patients can watch an information video – developed by Clatterbridge staff in partnership with Maggie’s cancer charity – that explains what to expect when starting chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Patients also get a link to the videos so they can watch them again later or share them with carers, family members and friends who also need to understand more about their treatment.
Each patient also has a one-to-one pre-assessment health check with a nurse during the session to check their clinical details and give them more personalised information about their own treatment.
The new Liverpool group sessions started at the end of June and take place in Clatterbridge Paddington Health Hub, away from the busy main hospital environment. Although patients starting treatment at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral have been able to attend similar group pre-assessment sessions for some time, nothing similar was available previously for patients starting their treatment at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool.
Angela Hall recently started immunotherapy treatment after attending one of the new group pre-assessment sessions in Liverpool. She said:
It was a really useful session. The venue in Paddington was easy to find and it was a nice little group. It encouraged me to feel more positive about starting treatment and gave me confidence that my cancer team knew what they were doing.
They made me feel comfortable and they reassured you in every way, explaining not to worry about starting treatment and telling you what to expect.
Rachael Gregory, a senior SACT nurse who leads the Clatterbridge in the Community treatment service and has been pivotal in developing the new group sessions, said:
Starting cancer treatment can be a daunting experience for people because they often feel worried after their diagnosis and there is so much information to take in. We are always looking at how we can reduce any anxiety people might feel and make the whole treatment experience more comfortable for them.
Patients tell us that coming to a group like this where they can meet other people in the same position, find out more about what to expect, and ask any questions they have has made it feel less daunting.
If you are about to start chemotherapy, immunotherapy or another medical treatment at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool or Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral, then it’s likely you will be invited to one of our group pre-assessment sessions.
If you are starting these treatments at another one of our sites - for example, Aintree (Marina Dalglish), Halton or Ormskirk - then you will be invited to a different form of pre-assessment session.
