What is the Macmillan Acute Oncology Service?
The Macmillan Acute Oncology Service is a special team of healthcare experts. They include Nurses, and they also get support from Cancer Doctors (Consultant Oncologists) and Coordinators who work from different places.
What Do We Do?
The team is in charge of looking after people with cancer who have been admitted to our hospitals at The Royal Oldham, Fairfield General (Bury) and Rochdale Infirmary.
Our main goal is to make sure all cancer patients get high-quality care.
We do this by making sure there is great communication between everyone involved in the patient's care, including:
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Palliative Care Services (who focus on comfort and quality of life).
- Hospices (places that offer care for people with serious illnesses).
- District Nurses (who visit patients at home).
- GP practices (your regular family doctors).
The CUP/MUO Assessment Service
The Acute Oncology team also runs a specific service called the CUP/MUO Assessment Service.
- CUP stands for Cancer of Unknown Primary
- MUO stands for Metastases of Unknown Origin
The service helps when a patient has cancer, but doctors can't immediately figure out where it originally started in the body.
The Acute Oncology Nurses and Cancer Doctors provide expert advice and support to:
- The other hospital teams looking after the patient
- The patients themselves
- The patient's family and carers
How we help
We are here to help in a few different ways:
- We give advice over the phone to other healthcare staff
- We visit patients on the hospital wards to check on them
- We provide training and information to other healthcare professionals
We work closely with several important groups, including:
- The hospital's palliative care teams (who focus on patient comfort)
- The team that manages the patient's main cancer treatment
- The radiotherapy team at The Christie in Oldham
- The team that deals with Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression (a specific cancer complication)
We also offer phone support and guidance to our patients and the people who care for them, helping them find the right services they need.
Our coordinators
Our Acute Oncology Coordinators are the first people you talk to. Essentially, they:
- Manage all the patient referrals (when a patient is sent to us for care)
- Answer the phones
- Handle all the necessary office work (clerical support)
By doing this, they make sure our nurses can spend all their time focused on directly caring for patients.
What the nurses do
The Acute Oncology Nurses check on patients who are suddenly admitted to the hospital with a problem caused by their cancer or by the treatment they are getting. They also see patients who are diagnosed with cancer while they are already in the hospital.
They also help give information about:
- Prognosis: This is the likely future outcome of the illness
- Ceilings of Care: This means the level or limit of medical treatment that is best for the patient
When we get a referral
When we get a request to see a patient in the hospital, the Acute Oncology team will try their best to assess the patient within 24 hours or by the end of the next working day. After that, they will call the team looking after the patient to discuss the next steps.
When we get involved, here's what you can expect from us:
- A Visit: One of our team members will come to your hospital ward to talk with you about your care and offer support to the nurses and doctors who are looking after you
- Team Communication: The Acute Oncology Nurse will be the link between you, the ward team, and the cancer doctors (Oncologists) at The Christie. They will make sure that any advice from The Christie gets passed on and put into action
- Your Plan of Care: Our nurse can explain your treatment plan while you're in the hospital and offer you support. If you need any written information or details to help you understand, they'll be happy to give it to you
- Support on Your Terms: The nurse will visit you as often or as little as you need, depending on what works best for you. We can also meet with your family if you want us to
- Working Together: The doctors and nurses on your ward are still in charge of your day-to-day care. Our job is to work with you, the ward staff, and your Oncologist to make sure you get the best possible care while you are in the hospital
The MacMillan Information Centre provide support to patients at The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital ad Rochdale Infirmary. Patients who are coming to an appointment or are currently an inpatient at one of these hospitals can access support by calling 0161 656 1026. They also offer telephone support or ward visits at any of these hospitals for inpatients.
Opening hours
The service is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) from 9am-4pm.
Contact
Telephone 0161 656 1026
The Macmillan Information Centre is continually recruiting for cancer patient representatives to join them to share their experience and views on cancer care and services within our hospitals.
Being a patient rep is flexible and reps will be offered the opportunity to sit on panels (such as annual Quality Assurance), focus groups, develop patient information and shape changes to new and existing services.
For more information or to get involved, please contact us on 0161 656 1026 or email macmillan.infocentre@pat.nhs.uk.
Maggie’s is here for anyone with cancer and all the people they love.
Cancer Support Specialists with expert knowledge are available to help people better understand their treatment. There are also psychologists for group or individual support, and benefits advisors.
Maggie's also works with experts who provide exercise groups, nutrition advice and confidence boosting workshops. The centre is a space for expert cancer support, for someone to just listen and for family and friends too.
All of the support is free, visitors do not need an appointment or referral and the centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
There are two centres in Greater Manchester.
Manchester address: The Robert Parfett Building The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 15 Kinnaird Rd, Manchester M20 4QL
Oldham address: Maggie's Oldham, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Road, Oldham, OL1 2JH