Multidisciplinary team working

Elizabeth Davies describes her role as Consultant Haematology Pharmacist at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) NHS Foundation Trust. Elizabeth has worked in haematology for 18 years and is an independent medical prescriber with an advanced clinical skills qualification. Her unique role as a Consultant Pharmacist includes the outpatient clinical review of patients at all stages of…

Helen Pye, Cheryl Bell and Holly Hawthorn, all Haematology and Haemophilia Social Workers at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, explain the support they provide for patients after one year in their roles. They are the only adult social work team for haematology and haemophilia patients in the UK and would be delighted to speak…

Frances Dobson and Natasha Jones, Haematology Dieticians at Addenbrookes Hospital, explain their role in managing the dietetic needs of myeloma patients. How are referrals made, and what does the service offer to patients? Referrals are normally made through the hospital’s Epic IT system, but can be made face-to-face on the ward or via email. We…

The myeloma team at Beatson Cancer Centre have successfully integrated a specialised pain service within their myeloma outpatient clinic. Paul Gallagher, a senior pharmacist with expertise in cancer pain, offers pain management consultations to patients when they attend the hospital for clinic appointments. Here, Paul sheds light on the unique pain service he provides, highlighting the…

Improving myeloma care together: spotlight on the myeloma Network Site-Specific Group (NSSG) professional information website, part of the Thames Valley Strategic Clinical Network, Regional Myeloma multidisciplinary team (MDT) and Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford. Dr Sally Moore and Dr Karthik Ramasamy, Consultant Haematologists at the Churchill Hospital Oxford, told us how creating a Network Site-Specific Group…

One of the highlights of the service at Royal Derby Hospital was the development of an Amyloidosis MDT to coordinate and improve the service provided for their patients with AL amyloidosis. Consultant Haematologist, Dr Firas Al Kaisi at the Royal Derby Hospital, talks to Myeloma UK about the challenges of diagnosing AL amyloidosis, highlighting the…

The management of myeloma has changed significantly in recent years as more drugs for myeloma and its symptoms have become available through the NHS. These recent advances mean more patients receiving a wide variety of treatment from chemotherapy and immunotherapy to bisphosphonates. Furthermore, many of these treatments are given continuously further increasing the number of…

Approximately 20% of newly diagnosed myeloma patients have significant renal impairment at the time of their diagnosis, and about 10% of these immediately require dialysis. The renal complications of myeloma are amongst the most important in terms of their potential to affect patients’ quality of life. This is particularly true for patients who need dialysis…

Pharmacy teams are important members of the multi-disciplinary teams responsible for the treatment and care of myeloma patients but are not always part of clinics. Chesterfield Royal Hospital has found that integrating a pharmacist into their weekly myeloma clinics has led to improvements in the clinical service and patient satisfaction. Rebecca Clark, Principal Haematology-Oncology Pharmacist…