Doncaster and Bassetlaw Macmillan Mobile Lymphoedema Service

Based at St Johns Information and Support Centre
Weston Road
Balby

Clinics are also held at:

Following a medical referral to St Johns Information and Support Centre all patients are assessed by the specialist practitioner within four weeks, for clinic patients, within three working days for community, hospital, nursing home and hospice and an agreed treatment plan is negotiated.

The service offers:

The service expects and encourages patients and carers to become self-caring, therefore education is offered as 1-1 and as workshops. These have been agreed in consultation with the patients and carers and include:

1. Skin care
2. Exercise
3. Simple lymph drainage
4. The Lymphatic System
5. Healthy lifestyle
6. Healthy eating

Education

The service also has a remit to provide professional education which is offered as Awareness Days - Day long study days for all professionals , medics, nurses (practice, ward, community, nursing home), physiotherapists, occupational therapists and phlebotomists. In fact any professional that may come into contact with patients that are at risk of or have developed cancer related or non cancer related lymphoedema.

The service accepts invites from TARGET and BEST- in house or other wise.

We also provide individual educational sessions for specific areas.

We participate in Health Days and Market Days and any other opportunity to raise the awareness and the care of the condition - lymphoedema to patients, carers, the public and professionals.

Support Group

Tel: 07980 977685

The service supports and encourages the lymphoedema support group, which is managed by patients for sufferers and their carers.

North Trent

The service works within the North Trent Lymphoedema Framework and all the practitioners throughout the North Trent meet regularly to develop the standards, guidelines and protocols across the region to ensure equity of care. The practitioners of the North Trent region have formed a new group with the support groups of the region The North Trent Practitioners and Users Group to ensure patient led services.

Lymphoedema is a chronic swelling, usually of the arm or leg (but can be any part of the body) caused by the removal of or blockage / damaged of the lymph glands. This may be caused by cancer or it’s treatments.

The lymphatic system is a fine network of vessels similar to the arteries or veins that help remove unwanted fluid and debris from the tissues back into circulation.

What makes the lymphatic system different to the arteries and veins is the lymph glands.

Every so often along the pathways of the lymphatic vessels are lymph glands. The glands are tiny and bean shaped and they filter the fluid and debris that is travelling along the lymphatic system. It breaks down the unusable material such as the dead and damaged cells and fights the foreign cells such as infections (part of the immune system).

When glands are removed, as in surgery for cancer, the body cannot always compensate for the loss. In many cases it can, but unfortunately in some, the lymphatic system becomes slower and the fluid that ordinarily would have been removed un-noticed remains in the system longer causing the arm or leg to swell. Although Lymphoedema is a long-term problem, which cannot be cured, it can be treated and managed very well.