Cancer surgery during the pandemic

Finding out that you have cancer can be devastating, even more so during a pandemic. But help and support is available.

Yvonne was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram back in January. She was referred to Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead which is a designated cancer surgical hub for the south east, for a mastectomy.

She said: “When you hear you have cancer you think you are going to die tomorrow, but you are not, there are people working to help you. Having a cancer diagnosis is frightening, but it is really important to get treatment.”

QVH has introduced extra screening and infection control processes including temperature checking all patients as they arrive and swab testing prior to surgery.

Yvonne said: “It was made clear to me that I was going to a hospital that was taking the necessary precautions to protect patients from coronavirus. The team at Queen Victoria Hospital were fantastic and I was confident all the way through the process. I arrived at 9.30am, had my operation at 1pm and by 6.30pm I was back home sitting in my own garden with my husband.

“All the NHS staff kept their cool and their humour through what has been a very difficult time and I am enormously grateful to them.”

If you are worried you might have signs of cancer please contact your GP practice in the first instance. Your GP will be able to arrange for you to get a diagnosis and treatment, whether it is a cancerous or non-cancerous condition.

Watch a short film created by ITV Meridian explaining QVH’s role as a designated cancer surgical hub.