Identifying and meeting survivorship needs
This article reports on the development and delivery of a nurse-led end of treatment consultation clinic for women who have completed treatment for early breast cancer. Women are invited to attend a 45-minute consultation with an experienced cancer nurse. They are asked to complete a holistic needs assessment before their appointment. The consultation focuses on ongoing physical and psychosocial concerns, plans for follow-up care and surveillance, lifestyle advice and optional survivorship programmes. A care plan is developed that is shared with the patient and her GP. An evaluation of the clinic has been undertaken and this article reports the findings of the clinic observations and the audit of 124 care plans to ascertain main topics discussed and ongoing referrals made.
