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Waiting time

Former Member
Former Member
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Hi, Please can you tell me what would be an acceptable timescale to wait for an initial appointment letter after being referred for chemo? My husband has been on w&w for 5 years and in December 2021 he was referred for chemo, he will have to go to a different hospital for his treatment and we were told we'd hear from them 'soon'. it's now almost three months since his referral and he still hasn't had any correspondence at all from them, our local hospital is carrying on with his 4 weekly blood tests and telephone consultations and have said they will chase up the hospital he has to attend for treatment, we are finding this complete lack of communication very stressful and causing us both anxiety. Thank you

  •  Hi Jenmo

    Thanks for getting in touch, my name is Alison and I am one of the cancer information nurses. 

    I am sorry to hear that your husband has been waiting to start chemotherapy.

    This is obviously a very anxious and unsettling time for you both as you have no date arranged for your husband to start his chemotherapy.

    We’d recommend contacting your consultant via their secretary or your nurse specialist (if you have one) to ask when your appointment will be.

     You can contact the consultant’s secretary by calling the hospital’s main reception or switchboard and asking to be put through. They can also give you their direct telephone number.

     

    If you struggle to speak to someone at the hospital, the Patient Advice & Support Service may be able to help. There will be a PALS support service at the hospital your husband is attending, and it may be an idea to contact them through the hospital’s switchboard.

     

    I hope this information helps to guide you. Sometimes it can help to talk things through with the nurses on the Macmillan support line. We often find that we can help people more by speaking with them on the phone.

     

    Kind regards 

     

    Alison, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    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 send us an email. 

    Ref/AR 

     

     

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