Kate de Lord, Head of Cancer Services at Sciensus, discusses the types of cancer for which Sciensus offers treatment and the holistic support provided to patients by Sciensus cancer services.
I’m very proud of the unique range of support we provide with our cancer services. There is still a lot of fear around the word ‘cancer’, so a large part of our role is supporting the patient and their family as they deal with their diagnosis and treatment. Our amazing chemotherapy nurses are also fully supported with professional development and training.
We are able to treat more than 100 types of cancer at home. They range from the most common kinds of cancer, including breast, lung, colorectal, ovary, mesothelioma and prostate, to the rarer forms of the disease such as thyroid and glioblastoma.
Treatment can last from half an hour to up to nine hours, but instead of being in hospital you are in the comfort of your own home in your favourite armchair of sofa. It’s far nicer for the patient.
We have a team of cancer clinical nurse specialists (CNS) whose role is to help and support he patient and family with anything they may need beyond the treatment, including sourcing counselling, financial advice or dieticians.
Patients also have access to a 24/7 telephone support line, and all patient interactions are documented and put on our system where all the nurses can see it. Notes are also sent to the lead consultant so they can track what’s happening – this is really important as we’re not in a hospital setting.
Highly trained Sciensus nurses provide first-class patient care
To ensure all our patients with cancer are receiving the very best care possible, our team of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) practice development nurses are also in place to provide holistic support for our Sciensus chemotherapy nurses. We also prioritise the nurses’ professional development as we run our own SACT course at masters or degree level, accredited by Birmingham City University.
I don’t believe any other independent provider offers this kind of training. It gives our nurses the opportunity to enhance their skills and boost their confidence in the excellent care they provide for our patients. It also makes our business sustainable, so we can continue to grow our services.
You can find out more about our services and the full range of cancers we are able to treat on our website: https://www.sciensus.com/our-services/cancer-care-at-home/