Brain and Central Nervous System (CNS) Therapy Team

Nikki Harrison

  • Reference Number: HEY1045/2024
  • Departments: Physiotherapy
  • Last Updated: 31 October 2024
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Introduction

We understand that this can be a difficult period, and this leaflet has been produced to provide general information about the Brain and CNS Therapy Team. We hope this leaflet can answer most of your questions, though not all the information inside may be relevant to you. This leaflet is not intended to replace the discussion between you and the Brain and CNS Therapists but may provide a starting point for your discussion.

If after reading this you have any concerns or require further explanation, please contact the team on tel: 01482 461666.

Who are the Brain and CNS Therapy Team?

We are a community therapy team based at Castle Hill Hospital, providing specialist physiotherapy and occupational therapy to patients with brain and CNS tumours.

We predominantly provide therapy in your own home or at times in the Queens Centre for Oncology and Haematology, Castle Hill Hospital. We are Macmillan professionals but see patients with all grades of tumour, cancerous and non-cancerous.

How can the team help me?

Below are some examples of things the team may be able to help you with:

  • Exercise to help with strength and balance
  • Assessment and management of your mobility
  • Provision of walking aids, wheelchairs and equipment to aid everyday tasks
  • Managing day-to-day tasks e.g. cooking and housework
  • Help with cognitive difficulties, coping strategies, mindfulness
  • Planning/pacing/grading advice
  • Tiredness and fatigue management
  • Help accessing leisure and social activities
  • Onwards referrals for home adaptations
  • Grant applications and referrals to welfare rights
  • Support returning to work or accessing voluntary work
  • Signposting to other services i.e.; support groups/charities

Who do we see?

Our Macmillan therapy team sees patients with cancerous and non-cancerous tumours and our service is open to:

  • Adults over 18 years of age
  • People with primary brain or CNS tumours
  • Those with a Hull or East-riding GP. If you live outside this area feel free to contact us, we may be able to arrange therapy from a team in your area
  • People with a goal for therapy that can be worked towards

Who we cannot see?

We are unable to see those with metastatic disease, brain injuries or other neurological diseases. Metastatic tumours are ones that have spread from elsewhere in the body.

How do I contact the Brain and CNS Team?

You can contact the team by telephone on tel: 01482 461666

The team is available Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00

If we are not in the office, please leave a message on the answering machine and we will contact you as soon as possible. Our voicemail is checked regularly. We will then agree a date to visit you at home to undertake an assessment so we can jointly agree on how the team can best support you. The visit will last approximately 1 hour. If you prefer to meet at Castle Hill Hospital please let us know and we will try to accommodate this. You can also ask other health professionals to refer you to our team.

You can email us at: hyp-tr.braincnstherapyteam@nhs.net

You can also write to us:

Macmillan Brain and CNS Therapy Team

Queens Centre for Oncology and Haematology

Room 0288 Therapy office

Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road

Cottingham, HU16 5JQ

Useful Contacts/Websites:

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

  • you must be able to give your consent
  • you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
  • you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.

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