Aid for cancer patients at hand, even at a distance
Telemedicine is a new and invaluable tool used for advising patients in rural hospitals to remove the need for them to travel long distances to the nearest city. Mark Smith finds out more, and talks to both patients and their therapists
Acancer diagnosis can be one of the most terrifying and isolating experiences a person ever has to face.
To make matters worse, many patients in Wales often have no choice but to travel long distances to get the expert treatment or advice they need.
But thanks to new technology, lengthy trips to hospitals could be a thing of the past for many patients in rural parts of Wales with head and neck cancer.
A new telemedicine clinic is now in operation in South West and Mid Wales which gives patients the chance to speak to medics via a live video link at a hospital closer to their home.
Head and neck cancer is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK and around 4,000 people in Wales are living with it.
Previously, specialist speech and language therapy services were centralised at Swansea’s Singleton Hospital, which meant patients in Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire had to travel almost two hours each way to have this support.
Now these patients can have a tel- emedicine consultation with their Singleton consultant while sitting in Bronglais, Aberaeron, Cardigan, Glangwili or Withybush and Prince Phillip Hospitals, reducing the burden and cost of travel.
The sessions give head and neck cancer patients advice on voice technique and how to eat properly.
Pensioner Peter Martin had a total laryngectomy in 2012 after being diagnosed with cancer of the larynx and was fitted with a surgical voice prosthesis.
The 66-year-old grandfather was the first patient to use the telemedicine facility at the clinic in Aberaeron Hospital, just a few miles down the road from where he lives.
He was set up to use a “handsfree” device at the video conference clinic, which gave him the chance to speak without the need to press his thumb to his neck, also known as a digital occlusion, for the first time since the removal of his voice box.
“I only have a 15-minute drive and the telemedicine clinic is marvellous. Sali, my speech and language therapist based in Swansea, can check that everything is OK through the camera and can look right into the stoma,” said Peter, who used to work on a farm and is now a keen gardener.
So far 49 patients have used the telemedicine clinics, and in their feedback all were satisfied with the service they received, which has also saved them a combined total of 220 hours of travel.
Macmillan Cancer Support invested £250,000 to improve after-treatment support for people with head and neck cancer in South West and Mid Wales.
The charity funded the new telemedicine service working in partnership with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, Hywel Dda University Health Board and the South Wales Cancer Network.
Macmillan development manager Kim Morris explained: “People with cancer in rural areas sometimes have to travel long distances for their treatment and this service gives them the specialist speech and language support they need closer to home.
“This helps patients in Hywel Dda access specialist Macmillan speech and language therapy services through telemedicine to talk, eat and drink and feel more like themselves again after their cancer treatment.
“Macmillan can only fund services such as this thanks to the generosity of the public.”
Danna Evans-Jones, Macmillan specialist speech and language therapist in Hywel Dda said: “The telemedicine sessions vary depending on the patient’s needs. With Peter we can practise voice technique and evaluate the quality of his voice.
“Eating can sometimes be a prob- lem for patients and the telemedicine session lets us check this and work with the patient to help them sort it out.”
Sali Curtis, senior specialist Macmillan speech and language therapist in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said: “I feel very lucky to be part of such an exciting and innovative project.
“Working jointly with Danna has resulted in excellent joined-up and seamless care between the two health boards.”
“This has a very positive impact on our head and neck cancer patients. Patients have been very positive about our video conference clinics, and are usually very grateful for being saved the inconvenience of another journey to Swansea.”
To find out more about how you can support Macmillan, call 0300 1000 200 or visit www.macmillan. org.uk/fundraising.