Living With Cancer
A Charter for People With Cancer
CHEMOTHERAPY
People who are receiving chemotherapy have a
right to:
(a) receive this treatment in comfortable
surroundings;
(b) receive this treatment from a team of
staff who have received relevant education and training and are
sensitive to their needs;
(c) begin treatment within 30 minutes of
the appointed time; be given explanations in the event of delays
in beginning or completing treatment.
TRANSPORT
People who have cancer and qualify for transport
on medical grounds have the right to transport to and from home
at weekends, as well as at the beginning and end of treatment.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT/COUNSELLING
People who have cancer have a right to emotional
support for a period of at least 12 months after their diagnosis.
This includes the right to:
(a) at least two home visits by an appropriate
health professional who will provide emotional support and information
on local support services including cancer counselling service.
LIFE-STYLE
People who have cancer have the right to receive
care in a non-judgmental way, regardless of their life-style,
with emphasis on the future rather than the past. They have the
right to:
(a) support in the community for changes
in their life-style which they may wish to make, eg stopping smoking,
change in diet;
(b) receive health promotional literature
which is helpful, positive and non-judgmental;
(c) receive sound information on the range
of therapies and treatments which they may wish to use in dealing
with their cancer.
PALLIATIVE CARE
Those who unfortunately require palliative care
have the right to appropriate support in their home. In addition
they have the right:
(a) to be placed in contact with the Foyle
Hospice if requested;
(b) to hospital access as required for treatment
and care which can no longer be provided in the community;
(c) to die at home with professional support
for themselves and their family carers.
INTRODUCTION
This Charter is being presented by us from our
own experiences, both good and bad, in the hope that it will bring
a greater awareness to the health care professions of the fears
and anxieties of people diagnosed with cancer, that they, in turn,
will be treated with the respect and sensitivity they deserve.
THE CHARTER
IS IN
NINE POINTS
1. Diagnosis
2. Information
3. Staff Training
4. Physical Changes
5. Chemotherapy
6. Transport
7. Emotional Support/Counselling
8. Life-Style
9. Palliative Care
DIAGNOSIS
While respecting the professional judgment of
the clinician and the individual's wishes, people receiving a
cancer diagnosis have a right to.....
(a) be given their diagnosis by a medical
member of staff in a caring and sensitive way;
(b) be given their diagnosis in privacy with
an opportunity to discuss the implications of the diagnosis. The
diagnosis should not be given during a routine ward round;
(c) have personal or professional support
during and after they have been informed of their diagnosis and
have access to a private area in which to discuss their diagnosis
with family members;
(d) be given their diagnosis personally,
not by letter or telephone.
INFORMATION
People who have cancer have a right to information,
both verbal and written:
(a) on cancer in general and their own in
particular;
(b) on treatments, their effects and side
effects.
STAFF TRAINING
People who have cancer have the right to receive
their care from staff who have received basic and on-going training
in the field of cancer and its effects.
PHYSICAL CHANGES
No person should be expected to leave hospital
until they have had the opportunity to discuss physical changes
which they may have experienced. Where follow up care of wounds
is requested or required, the appropriate arrangement will be
made by ward staff for community nursing staff to visit the patient
at home. The person also has the right to:
(a) be shown their wound;
(b) be given information on care of their
wound including appropriate clothing and washing;
(c) be told honestly of the possibility of
baldness if they are having chemotherapy, and the availability
of wigs, etc.
(d) patients who require prosthesis and/or
a wig should be treated with sensitivity by staff who are mindful
of the patient's possible emotional distress.
| 
