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Transport to and from hospital for Radiotherapy.

Min Pin
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Hello,

I have had surgery I am due to start a course of radiotherapy in the next couple of weeks. I have cancer of a lymph node with no primary site. A radical neck dissection and a tonsilectomy have been performed.

My real worry is getting to and from the hospital for treatment. I live in a rural location with my 97 year old Aunt and my husband. She can be left alone for short times for single appointments, but couldn't be for the extended treatment period planned, my husband would need to be in the house and he is unable to drive me back and forth.

I have severe fibromyalgia and although I can drive I only ever go to the local garage occasionally and just could not negoiate driving through a busy city to get to the hospital.

We have no other family.

Is there a charity that can help get me to and from the hospital? I've been told I could use the ambulance service but there is no particular time they can pick me up or leave me home and frankly I would be mortified having an ambulance arriving at the door 5 days a week, nor do I think I would be well enough to wait about the hospital all day for a lift home. Public transport in our area is sporadic with multiple changes required to get to the hospital.

I would pay for petrol of course. If I can't get this sorted out I will have to refuse the treatment and I'm so anxious about it.

  • Hello  in pin

    Thank you for contacting us here at Macmillan, I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through this Min Pin, the stress of trying to sort out logistics and that it may influence your treatment decisions is awful and not something you need at a time like this, I’m sure.

    Transport to and from hospital is something we get asked about often Min Pin and I must be honest and tell you that it’s not always easy to get, depending on where you live it can be really difficult, I would suggest getting in touch with your nearest Macmillan Centre or any other cancer support centre near to where you live, they often have local information such as volunteers for hospital runs etc. so it’s worth getting in touch.  You can use our In your area page to input your postcode and it will show you any centres, both Macmillan and non-Macmillan, near to where you live, with contact details.

    The Royal Voluntary Service may also have services that can help with transport to and from hospital, you can find the information here. 

    There are a few other organisations that may be able to help with transport, but they are area specific, since I don’t know where you’re based Min Pin I’ll pop the links in below in case any of them are relevant.

    St John Ambulance Wales

    Cancer Cars (Scotland)

    Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

     

    As I mentioned before, transport services are very limited just now, I hope you find something in the information I’ve provided but my best advice would be to contact a local cancer charity using the In Your Area function, to find out if there are any local volunteer transport services.  You could also check with your local health centre, library or some areas have volunteer services specifically for older people, if that’s something that might be relevant to you?  If it is relevant, you could take a look at the Help the Aged website to see if there’s support near you.

    I’m particularly concerned to hear about how the transport situation may affect your ability to have the treatment too Min Pin, that’s a huge decision to make.  Do you have a good network of people around you to talk to about this decision and about how you’re feeling in general, maybe a Cancer Nurse Specialist, if you have one assigned?  Please know that we’re here every day, from 8am to 8pm if you’d like to talk through anything with us or just to access some emotional support, our freephone number is 0808 808 0000, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a chat or if there’s anything else we can help you with.

     

    Kindest regards,

    Vicky, Information and Support Adviser

    Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.

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