Chemotherapy

Cancer services

Locations

Contact

General Enquiries: 020 3311 1234

Visitor Information

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Visiting

Our chemotherapy service provides chemotherapy treatment to cancer patients. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer and is most commonly given intravenously (injected directly into a vein) or in tablet form. These drugs disrupt the way cancer cells grow and divide but they also affect normal cells. You may be given treatment with one medication (monotherapy) or with a combination of medications (combination therapy). There are also a number of new treatments which are often given with chemotherapy as part of the treatment.

Our chemotherapy services have recently been CHKS accredited which means a ‘kite mark for quality’. CHKS is an independent external assessment of our services to ensure we meet the highest possible safety and quality standards and recognises our commitment to quality and safety in all that we do.

All patients receive a pre-treatment consultation to ensure that they are fully informed before they start their treatment. We also provide a 24-hour advice line for patients on chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

Conditions and treatments

We use chemotherapy to treat many types of cancer. The Charing Cross Hospital chemotherapy unit specialises in treating breast, colorectal, lung, oesophagus, stomach, prostate, bladder, skin and germ cell cancers. The Hammersmith Hospital unit specialises in treating gynaecological, hepato-biliary, colorectal cancers and haematological malignancies.

Our service provides complementary therapy. Amongst other treatments, this service offers reflexology, massage and acupuncture. Each person will receive a consultation prior to starting any therapies. We have a nurse-led service for some patients. It has been recognised as an excellent and innovative service which has greatly improved the patient experience and provides individualised holistic patient care. Maggie's Centre, based on the Charing Cross Hospital site, is another complementary resource that can be accessed by all cancer patients.

Clinics

Chemotherapy clinic at Charing Cross Hospital

Address

Outpatient Chemotherapy Day Unit
Sixth Floor
East Wing
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF

Hours

09.00 to 18.00, Monday through Friday

Contact information

Phone: 020 3311 7871

Additional information

The Charing Cross Hospital day unit has 20 treatment spaces. Inpatient chemotherapy is given on the 6 South Ward in dedicated chemotherapy beds. There is also an intrathecal service on this site – please ask your nurse or doctor for more information.

Chemotherapy clinic at Hammersmith Hospital

Address

Constance Wood Chemotherapy Day Unit
Ground Floor
Garry Weston Centre
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London W12 0HS

Hours

08.00 to 18.00, Monday through Friday

Contact information

Phone: 020 3313 3348

Additional information

The Hammersmith Hospital day unit has 20 treatment spaces.

Meet the team

Consultant

Dr Suzy Cleator

Lead chemotherapy nurse

Rebecca Johl

Lead oncology pharmacist

Sarah Mahmoud

Patient information

Before your appointment

You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer who can sit with you while you are having treatment. Others may attend your appointment and sit in the waiting room. Please wear comfortable clothes that allow you to easily roll up your sleeves. If you are having a scalp cooling treatment, we suggest you wear warm clothes or layers. Before your treatment appointment, you should have a light meal. You are welcome to bring something to read, music with headphones, or a tablet if you wish.

At your appointment

Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so there are occasionally medical students observing the administration of chemotherapy.

Please check in at reception at the relevant chemotherapy day unit. Waiting times tend to be 30 minutes to one hour. The duration of your appointment may vary depending upon your treatment – please discuss this with your nurse.

We invite all of our patients to a pre-treatment consultation with an experienced chemotherapy nurse to discuss side effects, information on what to do if side effects arise and to ensure patients have the adequate support needed throughout treatment. At each appointment, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, and to discuss side effects and your support needs.

Your chemotherapy dose is tailor-made for you according to your height and weight and will be prescribed by a consultant or senior registrar according to strict protocols.

After your appointment

If needed, the nurses may refer you to other teams, such as the welfare benefits service, located at both Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals, to offer financial advice and support. We also provide a dedicated 24-hour help line you can contact in an emergency or for advice. You may also be referred to a dietitian, complementary therapist or other relevant member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Patient facilities and resources

Both Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals offer scalp cooling for patients who are receiving drugs that cause hair loss. this is discussed with each patient individually as to whether this may be beneficial for them. For those who do not wish to use scalp cooling or who are unable to, we have a dedicated wig service. Browns More Hair Now provide wig services to the Trust, which can be accessed on both hospital sites.

Macmillan navigators

As part of the Macmillan Cancer Support and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust partnership, we’ve introduced the Macmillan cancer navigators service.

Macmillan navigators offer a single phone contact for all cancer patients. They can help with booking appointments, accessing local support services and finding answers to any questions. Please call the Macmillan navigators team with any questions you have about your cancer care. Learn more about Macmillan navigators.

Patient information leaflets

Additional information

Clinical trials and research

As a cancer centre in a large teaching hospital we are always doing our best to improve care for patients and one way of doing this is through clinical trials. When you come for your clinic appointment clinical trials may be discussed with you. A member of our dedicated research team will discuss this in detail with you and answer any questions you may have. Participation in clinical trials is voluntary and if you decide you do not want to take part it will not affect your treatment.

Further online resources