Acute Oncology Service (AOS) work with patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer, acutely unwell adult patients who have a known cancer diagnosis and patients who are receiving systemic anticancer treatment and radiotherapy.
Oncological emergencies can include:
Each team has clinical nurse specialists (CNS) at each site.
However, there is a slightly different provision of services depending on what hospital site you are being treated at.
We aim to see patients within 24 hours of admission to the hospital to provide treating teams with specialist input enabling our patients to be signposted to the relevant services.
We liaise directly with the patients’ oncology team. We identify patients requiring specialist palliative care input.
We advise departments for acute oncology admission offering support and advocate for patients and their families during the admission.
We liaise between the ward team and the patient’s oncologist and will ensure patients get support in the community when they are discharged from a hospital admission ensuring urgent needs and support are provided.
We have two oncology/haematology wards based at Southend Hospital.
We assess and review patients ensuring face-to-face advice and support are given to ward and department teams regarding the care and needs of patients.
We liaise and refer to palliative care teams when needed. We provide support and advice to patients and their families.