Living well after cancer treatment

Cancer can have a long lasting impact on every aspect of your life. Your medical team at the hospital and your GP work together to care for your needs and worries as they come up. This helps you to live well after cancer treatment.

Healthcare teams use a number of interventions to support people living with cancer. You may hear this being called personalised care and support planning (PCSP) or cancer recovery package.

How does the PCSP work?

The PCSP aims to support people living with cancer to feel more in control and improve their quality of life. It has 4 parts:

• holistic needs assessment (HNA)

• end of treatment summary

• primary care cancer review

• health and wellbeing events

PCSP is available throughout England. There are similar programmes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA)

The HNA is a simple questionnaire that you complete online or on paper. It looks at the following needs:

• physical

• practical

• emotional

• spiritual

• social

Your team uses the questionnaire to discuss your needs and concerns with you. They then create a care and support plan. This can include advice and information on:

• lifestyle

• self management

• local support

• a referral to a specialist service

You have the HNA at diagnosis, the end of treatment, or whenever your needs change. You can also ask to have an HNA when you feel you need it.

HNAs are not available in all hospitals. Speak to your specialist nurse if you would like one.

End of treatment summary

The end of treatment summary tells your GP and other health professionals in the community:

• what treatment you’ve had

• what your needs might be

• how they can help you

• who to contact at the hospital if they have any questions or concerns

You will also get a copy of your end of treatment summary. You can share it with other health professionals if necessary.

Your end of treatment summary also helps your GP to do your primary care cancer review.

Primary care cancer review

The primary care cancer review is a discussion between you and your GP or practice nurse. You usually have a primary care review within 3 and 12 months of your diagnosis.

During this review, you can discuss different topics with your GP. For example:

• what information and support is available in your local area

• the financial impact of cancer

• free prescriptions for people with cancer

• possible side effects of cancer and its treatment

Health and wellbeing events

Health and wellbeing events are sessions where you and your loved ones can learn about topics related to cancer. The events cover topics such as:

• self management to help you feel more in control

• a healthy lifestyle with information on diet, physical activity, sleep, fatigue and mental health

• benefits and financial advice

• coping with side effects of treatments

• support groups

These events are usually run by your local hospital. Speak with your specialist nurse if you would like to take part in a health and wellbeing event.

Read about how preparing for treatment (prehabilitation) can help with life after treatment