Jobs and Careers Winter 2020/21 - 190

J + C A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

Help make
cancer
treatment
personal

A

Healthcare at Home's head of cancer services,
Kate de Lord, explains the anti-cancer therapy
the company provides to patients in the
comfort of their own homes

cancer diagnosis is frightening,
not just for the patient but for
their families too. At Healthcare
at Home, we pride ourselves
on providing a personalised service, with
24/7 support and a dedicated team devoted
to each patient and their family to support
them in navigating the road ahead.
Sometimes, a cancer diagnosis can make
someone feel like their life has been taken
out of their hands. Choosing to have their
treatment at home where they feel safe
and relaxed helps them feel empowered,
and this active role in their own healthcare
gives them more control over their lives.

Continuity in care

We have a standardised pathway in place
for our patients. The care continues to
be consultant-led for the duration of the
treatment, so we make sure we have all the
information we need from the consultant
in order to treat the patient and meet the
needs of them and their family. We have a
welcome call with the patient to reassure
them that we're there to support them and
will take care of them every step of the
way. We take time to answer any questions
they may have, explain the next steps
and ensure they know what to expect.
The patient has a pre-treatment
assessment and blood test between 24 and
72 hours before the treatment date, and the
day after treatment a Healthcare at Home
chemotherapy nurse will follow up with
a call to find out how they are doing. Ten
days later, the patient will have another
nurse visit for a mid-toxicity assessment.

JC Autumn 2020 Healthcare at Home jw4.indd 2

" Patients really
appreciate our
personalised oneto-one care, and
our nurses get a
lot of satisfaction
from it too "

Many forms of cancer treatment
can reduce immunity as well as blood
count, and can cause side effects. These
normally culminate about 10 days after
treatment. The purpose of the nurse visit
is to see how the patient is doing, find
out whether they are experiencing any
side effects and establish whether we
need to provide any additional support.
Each patient sees one of three nurses
for their treatment, so it's very much a
personalised service with continuity of
care. The nurses build a rapport with their
patients as they stay with them while
they deliver their treatment. They see
caring for someone in the home as a real
privilege - it's a very personal space to be
welcomed into and allows them to really
get to know the patient and their life.
There are numerous benefits to having
treatment in your safe space at home.
We often get feedback from patients
that they like not having the stress of
travel and parking, or not being in the
environment of a busy hospital and it's
reassuring for patients to know the team
taking care of them. This means patients
are more relaxed and it's really helpful to
minimise any unnecessary stress when
you are receiving treatment for cancer.

Specialised patient support

The other service we provide, as part of
the national guidelines on cancer care, is
having an allocated cancer clinical nurse
specialist (CNS), with each patient having
the same CNS throughout treatment.
Essentially, this is the patient's key

01/12/2020 22:17
Jobs and Careers Winter 2020/21

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers Winter 2020/21
