Cancer Assessment Unit

We provide a short stay trolley area to facilitate assessment for patients referred with an oncological or haematology emergency and deliver specific ambulatory investigations and interventions in our ambulatory care area. Patients will be either discharged home with the appropriate treatment plan/follow up, referred to the appropriate speciality for ongoing management out with cancer & palliative care services as required or be admitted to an appropriate ward area within the Edinburgh Cancer Centre.

We have 10 assessment trolley bays, 6 inpatients beds and 2 triage rooms providing access to urgent triage and clinical assessment, for patients receiving active treatment for Cancer within South East Scotland and appropriate for admission according to the ECC Admissions policy. 

We provide a 24hour service but overnight at weekends emergency referrals attend the Medical Assessment Unit at the Western General Hospital. We aim  to deliver a high quality service in a safe and appropriate environment, providing specialist acute cancer and palliative care.

We work with the acute oncology on call team to take referrals for patents requiring assessment. Referrals come through the Cancer Treatment helpline, the haematology help line, clinics, GPs and other health care professionals. 

Additionally the iodine ablation suit is located within the unit and we care for patients receiving radioactive iodine treatment. We run an admission clinic for elective radiotherapy admissions and pre-assessment for patients requiring insertion of RIG feeding tubes.

We do not have visitors within the department and kindly ask relatives and carers to wait outwith the department due to constraints of space and ongoing activity of staff in the department.

We work closely as a multidisciplinary team. The nursing team comprises a Charge Nurse, Deputy Charge Nurses, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Practitioners, Staff Nurses, Assistant practioner nurses, Clinical Support Workers, and Ward clerks. We work with our Acute oncology triage nursing team and patient flow manager.

Our medical team comprises our on call consultant, registrar and junior medical staff on rotation through the Cancer Centre. We also have support from the palliative care team, pharmacists, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietitians and speech and language therapists, domestics and portering staff. Staff from Medical Physics administer the treatment and provide support for patients receiving radioactive iodine.