Our Services A - Z - Acute Oncology
About the service
The team's focus is to deliver a patient centred service with the following aims:
- delivery of safe, timely and effective care for cancer patients during an acute illness
- avoiding or minimising inpatient stay
- reducing time from referral to further management for new cancers
- achieving cost reductions by minimising the impact of unplanned care
- service development facilitating admission avoidance
- About the Team
The Acute Oncology Team is a Nurse delivered service involved in the care and management of cancer patient who present in an unplanned way. The team work closely with the hospital specialist palliative care team and site-specific nurse specialists to ensure every cancer patient is supported during an acute admission and provide clinical advice to ward teams in how to manage presenting problems. Patients may present with complications of their cancer or complications/toxicity from their cancer treatment – chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, radiotherapy, or a combination of these treatments.
The Acute Oncology team have close links with Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Liverpool (CCCL) to ensure up to date information regarding current oncology treatments and plans are communicated to ward teams and act as liaison between ward teams at STHK and Primary Oncology Teams at CCCL to ensure appropriate follow up is in place post discharge from hospital.
The Acute Oncology Team deliver the recently implemented Brain Tumour Optimisation Pathway providing clinical advice and support when patients present with a new finding of primary or secondary brain cancer.
The Acute Oncology Team provide a same day emergency care (cSDEC) for cancer patients at St Helens Hospital to with the aim of preventing patients attending the emergency department or requiring admission.
The team are based in Cancer Services, Lower Ground Floor, St Helens Hospital.
The team provide a service for the following groups of patients:- Type 1 - New presentation of Malignancy of Unknown Origin (MUO)/Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) in collaboration with the Non Specific Rapid Diagnostics Team (NSRDS)
- Type 2 - Complications of cancer treatment
- Type 3 - Complications of cancer itself – in collaboration with site specific CNS’s and SPCT
Weekly MDTAll referrals to the Non-Specific Rapid Diagnostics Service and inpatient and outpatient MUO/CUP referrals are discussed at the weekly MDT meeting which is on a Thursday at 1:45 pm. The MDT has representation from Oncology, radiology, Pathology, Nursing and SPCT. Referrals must be received by Wednesday 12.00pm in order to be discussed at the MDT that week.
Staff
Dr Matthew Howell - Consultant Medical Oncologist - Clinical Lead
Christine Rhall - Macmillan Acute Oncology Lead Nurse
Laura Hives - Acute Oncology Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Samantha Brady - Acute Oncology Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Hannah Munro - Acute Oncology Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Frank Keats - Acute Oncology Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Cindy McCallum - Acute Oncology Support Worker
- Location & Contact Details
The Acute Oncology Team are based at St Helens Hospital in Cancer Services.
Contact details:
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (Excluding Bank Holidays)
Tel: 01744 646 794 – Voicemail available
Email: acuteoncology@sthk.nhs.ukOncology advice out of hours
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre 24hr triage line – 0800 169 5555
or
Oncology Medical advice
Via Clatterbridge Cancer Centre switchboard – 0151 556 5000
Ask to speak to the medical registrar on call.
- Relevant Leaflets/Documents/Links
Page last updated on 03rd February 2025
