Leaders in Oncology Care

Appointments

Online Forms:

Option 1. I am the patient requesting the appointment
Option 2. I am NOT the patient requesting the appointment

Your referral

Referrals are usually made to us once you have had a diagnosis of cancer confirmed by your current medical advisor. This will usually be either your GP or your specialist, for example a cancer surgeon. Exactly when we become involved will depend on your diagnosis and the stage your treatment has already reached. People are sometime referred to us to establish a diagnosis when cancer is suspected but has not been confirmed.

Referral from your GP:

If your NHS or private GP suspects a cancer, they will refer you for further investigation and treatment. This is normally to a cancer specialist – a surgeon, medical oncologist or radiation oncologist (usually called a clinical oncologist). (Click here for a more detailed description of the Cancer Journey)

Many GPs are aware of us already and may well have suggested our name to you. Otherwise you may want to suggest to your GP that they might consider referring you to LOC. We have prepared a special downloadable briefing document about us which you can print out and give to them.

Referral from your Specialists

Our role is often to work closely with other specialists such as surgeons, physicians and gynaecologists. You may have had investigations by other specialists or surgery which has confirmed a diagnosis of cancer. Your specialist may then refer you to a consultant oncologist for a course of treatment, such as LOC offers. We have prepared a special downloadable briefing document about us which you can print out and give to them.

Download our GP/specialist briefing document

Making your appointment

We cannot make an appointment for you with one of our consultants until we receive the information set out below.

We have prepared a letter for you to give to your current medical advisor. This explains the information we require for your appointment to be made – please download here. The letter asks for information which includes:

• Details of your medical history/report
• Results of any investigations such as blood tests and scans
• Written histopathology report
• Details of any treatment you may have received to date

All these documents need to be in English or with an English translation if the originals are in another language.

We strongly prefer the referral to come directly from your current medical advisor either by fax or post. If this is difficult to arrange (for instance if you are an overseas patient), you must complete the Appointment Form. We will then contact you to discuss the information we receive. Alternatively call the Patient Referral Team on 020 7317 2504 (Monday – Friday 9.30am – 5pm).

If your medical advisor does not know which consultant you should be referred to, they should send through the referral directly to the Patient Referral Team via fax on 020 7009 4204.

Once we have received the referral from your medical advisor, the consultant’s secretary or someone from our Patient Referral Team will contact you within 24 hours to confirm an appointment.

Please note: We are not able to give medical advice or an opinion by phone or by email.

Treatments

The LOC offers the latest medical treatment for cancer including:

• Chemotherapy
• Hormone treatment
• Antibody treatments
• New biological treatments such as small molecule therapy.

If you require radiotherapy, you can consult with one of the radiotherapy specialists here at LOC. The radiotherapy itself will be carried out at a centre located very close to us. If you need surgery you will be referred to one of the UK’s leading cancer surgeons in one of the major private hospitals.

Second opinions

If you have already received an initial diagnosis, you may feel the need for a second opinion. After all, this is one of the situations in life when you need to be as well informed as possible.

It is not unusual to request a second opinion. All our oncologists will be happy to arrange this for you. Please discuss this with your oncologist who will be happy to recommend suitable oncologists for a second opinion in your cancer type or to refer you to a specialist of your choice. To confirm an appointment for you, we will first need to receive from your current medical advisors:

• Details of your medical history/report
• Results of any investigations such as blood tests and scans
• Written histopathology report
• Details of any treatments you may have received to date

All these documents must be in English or with an English translation if the originals are in another language.

Please read the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers section BEFORE ringing or submitting an enquiry form to us.

• Appointments
• I am the patient
• I am not the patient