What is the Cancer Prehabilitation Service?
Our prehabilitation service supports people with a cancer diagnosis to be in the best possible health before they start their cancer treatment. We know that preparing for your treatment will help you to recover quicker, alongside supporting your longer-term health and wellbeing too. Our prehabilitation service is physiotherapy led. The service works as part of the wider multidisciplinary team that supports people to achieve health and wellbeing through personalising the support you may need and giving you back some control during this time in your life.
There are several ways that the team can help support you:
- Asking the question: “what matters to you?” rather than: “what’s the matter with you?”
- Supporting you to stay engaged in activities and roles that are meaningful to you
- Symptom management
- Equipment assessment and provision
- Lifestyle changes (such as staying physically active)
- Fatigue management
- Emotional wellbeing
- Work matters
- Carer/family support
- Referrals to other support services.
Why should I use this service?
Prehabilitation or prehab involves building physical and emotional resilience to help people cope with and take control of their diagnosis and prepare for their upcoming treatment.
By addressing physical activity, mental wellbeing and diet and nutrition before treatment, people undergoing prehab will have improved outcomes including:
- Fewer post treatment complications
- Enhanced recovery following treatment
- Reduced length of stay post-surgery
- Improved cardiorespiratory fitness
- Improved strength
- Better neuro-cognitive functions
- Enhanced quality of life
- Manage symptoms
- Reduce the risk of recurrence
Patients due to undergo certain cancer surgeries can be referred by their cancer nurse specialist.
We hold clinics each week at Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston. We provide a group exercise class at each of the three sites and also have links to community groups that provide exercise provision, support groups and neighbourhood teams and you may be referred to these services as appropriate.
As a wider team we are here to support you prior to treatment, during your cancer journey and beyond.
How do I access this service?
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust professionals (such as your consultant, clinical nurse specialist or radiographer) can make a referral to this service when you get diagnosed. Once referred we aim to see you within a week of diagnosis. Please ask your healthcare professional if you feel this service would be beneficial to you.