Published on : 17 September 20193 min reading time

Trying to find information, you could go to NHS CHOICES website –

Their suggestion is ‘Contraception’.

Try again – and up comes ‘Suicide’.

Definitely a ‘malfunction’ of the NHS’s £60 Billion IT system, but it could upset patients. It’s not funny, and is NOT good enough for a publicly-funded Internet service, dealing with a problem that affects 25% of cancer survivors.

However,contacting professionals to ask if they knew of approved specialist staff who could help with these long term side effects, i got a huge POSITIVE response from Nurses and Cancer Support Centres .

Patients and Cancer Nurses sent comment after comment :

good luck ! ;
much needed ! ;
wish i could get help with…….. ;
My GP just thinks i am making this up …..

Complacency is NOT helping us

When NHS, Macmillan, National Audit Office and others admit to some of WORST post-cancer survival rates in Europe, this makes survivors determined to bring our needs out in to the open. It’s time for Patients to unbutton the stiff upper lip, stop being so uncomplaining, and demand that the NHS copy other countries with better post cancer long term survivor care. Am sure that will improve survival rates.

Other countries treat long term side effects seriously. It can’t be rocket science to send a survivor to the right specialist to start with – not waste our time going to doctors who say “I don’t know”.

Finding help – NHS Choices website shows lack of knowledge

Keying in ‘cancer survivorship’ and ‘treatment for cancer drug long term side effects’ produced

First go – list offered ‘suicide‘.
Tried again – and up came ‘contraception !’
Gave me a laugh ; but not so funny if you are desperate. This is a poor showing by NHS’s IT, so what’s going to happen when Granny goes on Skype for consultations ?

Macmillan training – what happens to it ?

During my moves, phoned Macmillan to ask for list of GPs who had taken their GP training. Was told they don’t have such a list Why ? The funds for training must come from the money we help raise. So come on Macmillan ; put us in touch. so we can go to GPs who understand.

Or as one very helpful doctor did ; take a photo of my splitting nails, showed this around at a Conference, and came up with the name of a Consultant who has saved my torn split nails – no painful episodes dressing, shaking hands, etc.