Living with and Beyond Cancer
What is an Holistic Needs Assessment ?
A Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) is a discussion you have with someone from your healthcare team. It involves completing an assessment or anwsering a questionaire to allow someone from your care team to talk through any needs and conerns that you have with them and to agree a care plan that supports your needs.
These concerns can be:
- physical
- emotional
- practical
- financial
- spiritual
HNAs may not be offered in all hospitals or GP practices. The HNA may happen in the ways we describe, or it may be more informal. If you are not offered an HNA and would like one, you can ask someone from your healthcare team or your GP about it.
What is Health and WellBeing Information and Support?
Health and Wellbeing Information and Support (HWBIS) can be offered to you in a variety of ways
One to one conversation with your clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or at the your local cancer centre
- At an education and support clinics and events ( these could be face to face or virtual)
- A voiced presentation sent via e-mail
- Short information video’s via this website, My Sunrise App or hospital websites
- Paper leaflets and pamphlets
The aim of widely sharing information with you, your family and friends is to increase your knowledge and choice of available services so you are better prepared and able to get the right support from the point of diagnosis. Generally the information will include advice on:-
- side effects of treatment and the recognition of issues
- details of who to contact.
- services available and how to access them
- work and finance
- emotional and psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis
- healthy lifestyles and physical activity.
We would highly recommend you attend or watch your offer of HWBIS as it is found that those engaging had
- increased knowledge of the potential side effects of treatment
- knew how to re-enter the system if they needed to do so.
- increased their knowledge of local services and how to access them
- a better understanding of a balanced diet and the importance of physical activity
- an overall improvement in their quality of life
What is a Cancer Care Review ?
You may have an appointment with your GP or someone else from GP surgery after you have been diagnosed with cancer. This is sometimes called a cancer care review.
A cancer care review is usually done within 12 months of being diagnosed. The review may happen a few months after being diagnosed, or sometimes later after your treatment has finished. But you can ask for a cancer care review at any point.
Your cancer care review is a chance to talk about:
- how you are feeling
- any new worries or concerns that you have
- any changes in your concerns
- what can help you manage and cope with these concerns
- what support is available in your area.
After Treatment - What next?
For many patients and their family members, there is a natural period of adjustment physically, emotionally and practically following a cancer treatment. The uncertainty of ‘what next?’ can be scary and challenging.
For a few people active treatment maybe ongoing, for others hormonal treatments may continue for a number of years.
What happens next and how you will be followed up will be discussed with you.
Completing a holistic needs assessment and discussing this with your Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)/Cancer Support Worker can help identify the support you need and signpost you to the appropriate services. If you would like to complete one please ask CNS/CSW.
Support is also available through your local cancer support centre, local support groups via the MySunrise App and national organisations such as Macmillan or CRUK. A comprehensive listing of these can be found via the Cancer Care Map.
