Lymphoedema

Locations

Contact

General Enquiries
020 3311 1234

Visitor Information

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Visiting

Our lymphoedema clinics see patients who are affected by swelling to parts of the body due to a damaged lymphatic system following a chronic condition, cancer or cancer treatments.

Our service is provided by practitioners with experience in managing lympohedema of every cause. Our emphasis is on early intervention to prevent the complications that are often associated with lymphoedema.

We focus on supporting patients to manage the lymphoedema themselves with regular support from the clinic.

Treatments we offer

In most cases, treatment plans will focus on enabling you to manage the lymphoedema yourself, with regular support from the clinic. This self-management regime may include:

  • advice about skin care
  • exercise
  • self-massage
  • fitting of a lymphoedema garment – compression sleeve, stocking or compression wraps.

For some people a more intensive treatment regime may be necessary, requiring frequent visits to the clinic over a period of one or two weeks while a course of specialised manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage and/or lymphoedema bandaging is provided.

Clinics

The lymphoedema clinic at Charing Cross Hospital is located in the Chemotherapy Day Care on the sixth floor west, and operates Monday to Friday.

Lymphoedema clinic at Charing Cross Hospital

Address

Room 7, 6th floor west
Chemotherapy Day Care
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF 

Hours

08.00 to 16.00 from Monday through Friday

Contact information

Phone: 020 3311 5038
Email: nhsnwl.stjohnsreferrals@nhs.net

Meet the team

Macmillan lymphedema nurse

Josefa Allay

Patient information

Before your appointment

You will be seen within six weeks of your referral. At your first appointment, please bring any medication you are currently taking.

Please also remember to check your letter for anything specific you have been asked to take with you. In addition, it would be helpful if you could bring the following:

  • your full address and telephone number(s)
  • your appointment card and appointment letter
  • your GP’s name and address
  • money to pay for any prescriptions, or an exemption card
  • a list of questions you may want to ask your practitioner

During your appointment

On your first visit to the clinic the nurse will take a careful and full medical history, paying particular detail to the history of the lymphedema, how and when it developed, and what particular problems it causes you.

The nurse will carefully examine your swollen limb and take some measurements. This may involve removing some of your clothing.

After your appointment

While most patients receive a self-management regime, a more intensive treatment regime may be necessary for some. This may require frequent visits to the clinic over a period of one or two weeks while a course of specialised manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage and lymphedema bandaging is provided. You will be followed up regularly at the clinic to monitor your progress.

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. 

Refer to this service

GP

Please use NHS e-Referrals to refer a patient to our lymphedema service. 

Secondary care

All patients with primary and secondary lymphoedema regardless of cause can be referred if their GP practice is within the following catchment areas:

  • Kensington & Chelsea
  • Hammersmith & Fulham
  • Westminster
  • Brent
  • Harrow
  • Camden

Referrals into our lymphedema service are accepted from any healthcare professional. Referrals will be accepted on the specific lymphedema service referral form, which should be sent by email to:

Email: clccg.stjohnsreferrals@nhs.net

Urgent referral

The team are available 09.00 to 16.00, Monday through Friday.

For any questions or queries, please feel free to contact us on 020 3311 5038.

Further online resources

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