What is the Cancer Prehabilitation Service?
Our prehabilitation service supports people with a cancer diagnosis to be in the best possible health before they start their cancer treatment. We know that preparing for your treatment will help you to recover quicker, alongside supporting your longer-term health and wellbeing too. Our prehabilitation service is occupational therapy-led. The service works as part of the wider multidisciplinary team that supports people to achieve health and wellbeing.
There are a number of ways that the team can help support you:
- Asking the question: “what matters to you?” rather than: “what’s the matter with you?”
- Supporting you to stay engaged in activities and roles that are meaningful to you
- Symptom management
- Equipment assessment and provision
- Lifestyle changes (such as staying physically active)
- Fatigue management
- Emotional wellbeing
- Work matters
- Carer/family support
- Referrals to other support services.
Why should I use this service?
The benefits of our service will be individual to you and those important to you; we can support you in a variety of ways to prepare for your treatment. We know that individuals who have support before their treatment often recover quicker, feel more in control and experience better outcomes, both in terms of their health and wellbeing.
Individuals who have used prehabilitation services have reported a number of benefits, these include:
- Needing to spend less time in hospital
- A faster and better recovery
- A reduction in complications, following treatment.
How do I access this service?
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust professionals (such as your consultant, clinical nurse specialist or radiographer) can make a referral to this service. Please ask your healthcare professional if you feel this service would be beneficial to you.
Are you interested in finding out more or would you like to use the service?
If you would like to find out more about the service you can phone the team on 01522 572378.