Respiratory Services |
B49
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The Service
Lung Cancer Service
The Royal United Hospital lung cancer service involves several departments and many staff members, some of whom are based in the Respiratory Department.
The full lung cancer multi-disciplinary team includes 5 respiratory consultants, a thoracic surgeon, a consultant oncologists, 3 lung nurse specialists, 3 lung navigators, a cancer co-ordinator, 5 consultant radiologists, a consultant histo-pathologist and palliative care nurses.
LIFT (Lung Investigation Fast Track) Clinic
If you are referred with suspected lung cancer by your GP you will be seen in the LIFT clinic. These clinics take place every morning Monday – Friday in the Respiratory Department.
At the LIFT clinic appointment, the respiratory doctor may ask about known medical problems, symptoms, medications, smoking history, asbestos contact, employment history and social situation. The respiratory doctor will also perform a physical examination.
The doctor may request investigations, prescribe medications or refer to other specialist doctors.
We welcome you bringing chosen family or friends with them for the consultation. Please feel free to ask any questions and express any concerns. It is sometimes helpful to write a list of questions to ask the doctor. It is also helpful if you bring details of any medications to the appointment and any other information they think may be relevant to the doctor.
Appropriate investigations are then requested. These may include one or several of the following:
- Bronchoscopy
- EBUS (Endobronchial Ultrasound)
- PET scan
- CT guided biopsy
- MRI scan
- Lung function tests
- Blood tests
These investigations are all done at the RUH.
If a surgical procedure is required to make a diagnosis, this will be performed at University Bristol Hospital Trust (formerly known as Bristol Royal Infirmary), in the centre of Bristol. The lung cancer service has close links with the Thoracic Centre at the University Bristol Hospital Trust.
Everyone with suspected lung cancer will then be discussed at the weekly multi-disciplinary team meeting (MDT), which takes place every Thursday morning, before being seen again in a LIFT clinic to discuss the results.
If a diagnosis of lung cancer is confirmed, the Respiratory clinic doctor will refer you to an appropriate specialist to receive the best possible treatment.
Lung nurse specialists
A lung nurse specialist is present in clinic for support whenever possible. In their absence, patients can be given their contact details and information.
You can contact the lung nurses for support and information at any stage. The lung nurse specialists liaise with the Respiratory team, the oncology department, the surgical team, GP's and some community services to ensure continuity of care.
Lung nurse specialists:
- can discuss the diagnosis, provide advice and information regarding tests that are needed, advise on benefits and refer on to Support Workers, advise on controlling physical symptoms, give information about any treatments that are offered and give time to talk about any worries or concerns
- do not give test results via the telephone
- are usually available Monday – Friday, between 9am-4pm
Lung Navigators
The two Lung Navigators are available 8.30am - 4.30pm, Monday – Friday. They are situated in the same office as the Lung Nurses.
They answer the telephone during the day and solve any patient or health care professional queries, liaise with the Lung Nurses and Respiratory consultants, co-ordinate clinic bookings and the booking of tests, liaise with other Trusts and GPs to streamline patients' journeys through the lung cancer services.
Respiratory Department
We are situated in Department B49 on the second floor.
In the department there is a lung function testing service. The offices for the Respiratory Nurse Specialists, the lung nurse specialists, the Respiratory Consultants and their secretaries are also based here.