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Barnsley lymphoedema service
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About the service
The lymphoedema service will provide specialist assessment and treatment for all patients with a diagnosed lymphoedema / chronic oedema related to a cancer diagnosis. The service delivers clinic based interventions.
Why would someone choose the service?
The lymphoedema service provides specialist enhanced knowledge and skills in the field of lymphoedema management, ensuring best evidence-based practice. The patient’s condition is treated effectively reducing the need for hospital admission and prolonged treatment, as well as promoting and enabling self-management.
Staff you may meet
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- We have a range of health workers who all have different specialities. This could be in a certain condition, a therapy or the advice they can give you. Our specialists our highly skilled and trained professionals, ready to offer you help and advice whenever you need it.
Support offered
- Comprehensive holistic specialist lymphoedema assessment.
- Education and information provision including advice on skincare
- Prescribing of specialist lymphoedema garments which:
- Minimise swelling
- Reduce secondary complications from the swelling
- Enhance quality of life
- Promote self-management
- Patients assessed as having complex lymphoedema needs will be offered lymphoedema treatment such as:
- Automated lymphatic drainage (ALD) – using automated pneumatic compression devices
- Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) – used as part of a treatment programme
- Simple Lymphatic drainage (SLD) – taught to patients to improve self-care
- Annual specialist review
Outcomes
- Ability to self-manage and self-care
- Educated to prevent future problems
- Reduced hospital admissions
- Reduced risk of infections e.g. cellulitis and therefore reduction in requirement for antibiotic prescriptions
Referral criteria:
Referrals are received by submission of the Barnsley lymphoedema service referral form to barnsleylymph@swyt.nhs.uk by the following healthcare professionals:
- Primary Care
- BHNFT cancer services
- Weston Park Hospital Sheffield
- Barnsley Hospice
- Barnsley general community services
At this time the service is only able to accept patients presenting with diagnosed lymphoedema/chronic oedema related to a cancer diagnosis.
Inclusion criteria
- The patient resides in a community setting i.e. own home, care home, hospice.
- Patients must be registered with a GP within Barnsley CCG.
- The patient must be 18 years or over.
- The patient has a diagnosis of Lymphoedema that is secondary to cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment
- Any healthcare professional requesting input from the Specialist Lymphoedema Service must ensure that the patient has been reviewed medically to exclude any other medical cause for the swelling.
- Re-referral on condition deterioration following planned discharge.
Exclusion criteria
- At this time any patients referred for lymphoedema treatment that is not secondary to a cancer diagnosis will be declined.
- Patients under the age of 18 years.
- Patients without a confirmed diagnosis or without any evidence of full investigations into swelling having been carried out, as this may compromise patient safety and they will be referred back for information and assurance
- Patients who are not in a stable phase of their co-morbidities, e.g. uncontrolled heart failure
- Non-housebound patients who are unable to travel to the lymphoedema clinic at Barnsley