16 August 2018
In 2013 the Cancer Action Team gathered together the evidence to support the promotion of cancer rehabilitation as a major part of NHS oncology policy. The pathways, which have also been refreshed and streamlined, are the end-point of that evidence gathering.
Macmillan Cancer Support have provided this publication in response to calls from health care professionals working with people with cancer. It provides a guide to assessment of patients rehabilitation needs and interventions which are likely to be effective. Macmillan believe that effective rehabilitation enables patients to make the most of their lives, maximises the outcomes of their treatment and minimises the consequences of treatment and symptoms. The pathways are designed to be used by health care professionals in practice.
The pathways are split into Generic Interventions, which can be used for any individual with a cancer diagnosis, Specific Interventions which are applicable to a smaller number of cancer sites to address problems which might be associated with them and Symptom Pathways which outline interventions that can be used to assess and address specific symptoms which can occur across a wide range of pathways.
Macmillan recognise that, as it stands the pathways, although useful, are a ‘legacy document’. The second phase of the rehabilitation pathways project, which commenced in July 2018, is to update the pathways, link them to current national policy and update the content based on new and emerging evidence.
The pathways are available HERE
Macmillan would also welcome your comments on the pathways and these will be used to inform the second phase of the project. The on-line survey is available HERE and should be completed before the Friday 28th September 2018.