Skip to main content

Service Changes for COVID-19 – Cancer Services

ribbons

We appreciate that this is a very worrying time for patients with cancer. As a Health Board, we are working to the guidance set out by Welsh Government in terms of maintaining essential services which include:

  • Emergency care
  • Investigation of patients who have signs or symptoms that have a high chance of being cancer
  • Urgent surgery
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy

All of our cancer teams are holding outpatient clinics to see urgent referrals, the majority of which are on non-acute hospital sites to protect our vulnerable patients. Cancer Nurse Specialists are contacting all follow-up patients virtually or seeing patients in clinic on one of our community hospital sites where virtual follow-up is not appropriate.

Decisions on patient treatment are being made on an individual basis, with the consultant in conjunction with the patient. Where surgery is deemed to be urgent, a discussion will be held with each patient regarding the benefits and risks of this being undertaken. The Velindre oncology team is also contacting their patients waiting for chemotherapy to discuss their care plan.

 

Information and Support Specialist 

Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB’s Cancer Information and Support Specialist service is running virtually, able to signpost patients to the current resources and services available. Patients are able to email or make urgent enquiries by phone.

 

Radiotherapy 

Treatment is still being provided at Velindre, in line with the current national guidance. The team at Velindre will speak to you over the phone to discuss your treatment and appointment. The helpline number is 02920 196836.

 

Chemotherapy (Oncology)

Treatment is being provided in Velindre or on the mobile unit, in line with the current national guidance. The consultant (or a member of their team) will speak to you over the phone to discuss and agree your treatment options. The helpline number is 02920 316248.

 

Head and Neck

  • Prince Charles Hospital/Royal Glamorgan Hospital – Clinics are now being provided in Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda or virtually. Contact 01443 443443 Ext 74876.
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – Clinics are continuing as normal with virtual appointments available. Contact 01656 752752 Ext 2107.

 

Urology

  • Prince Charles Hospital/Royal Glamorgan Hospital – Urology treatment is being offered according to national guidelines. All cancer patients have a keyworker for support. Surgery is being offered at the Vale Hospital. Patients with any urgent queries are being advised to contact their keyworker. 
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – All services relating to urgent outpatient, diagnostics and operating for urology are continuing to run. Contact 01656 752887.

 

Dermatology

  • Prince Charles Hospital/Royal Glamorgan Hospital – The outpatient clinics are being run from Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda, Ysbyty Cwm Cynon or by a telephone consultation. Patients can contact the Clinical Nurse Specialists with any queries, and an appointment can be made to see a consultant if required. Contact 01443 443565 or 01443 443443 Ext 74925.
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – Outpatient clinics are being run from New Surgery, Pencoed. Telephone: 01656 752102.

 

Colorectal

The colorectal department has not completely shut down at any of our hospital sites, but we have had to make adjustments to our service during the COVID-19 pandemic. For patients who have already been diagnosed with bowel cancer, treatment is continuing in the forms of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Patients who are being referred to the colorectal department with symptoms are being triaged by a consultant. For patients who have emergency presentations of colorectal cancer, such as bowel obstruction or perforation, emergency surgery is still commencing.

If you have any queries regarding your care, please contact the relevant switchboard below and ask to speak to the colorectal department.

  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital Main Switchboard – 01443 443443
  • Prince Charles Hospital Main Switchboard – 01685 721721
  • Princess of Wales Hospital Main Switchboard – 01656 752752

 

Respiratory

  • Prince Charles Hospital – Rapid access lung clinics are running as normal. Postoperative clinics are provided virtually. Contact 01685 728152/728527.
  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital – Clinics are being provided at Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda or virtually including rapid access, interstitial lung disease and blood monitoring clinics. Contact 01443 443443 Ext 74068/73579.
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – All clinics are being held virtually over the telephone. Patients are being contacted over the phone or by letter to inform them of the appointment. All calls are currently being responded to by the Respiratory Hub on 01656 752975.

 

Gastroenterology

  • Prince Charles Hospital/Royal Glamorgan Hospital – Clinics are being provided virtually wherever possible, or at Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda (consultant and nurse) or Ysbyty Cwm Cynon (consultant only). Contact 01685 728724 (Prince Charles Hospital) or 01443 443443 Ext 73051/73542 (Royal Glamorgan Hospital).
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – Services are continuing to run. All urgent suspected cancer patients are currently being seen. Telephone reviews are also currently being carried out wherever possible. Contact 01656 752987.

 

Gynaecology

  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital/Prince Charles Hospital – The service continues to run, virtually wherever possible. Patients requiring assessment are seen in clinic at Ysbyty Cwm Cynon, or at the Women’s Health Unit in Royal Glamorgan Hospital. Contact 01443 443443 Ext 6212.
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – The service continues to run, virtually wherever possible. There are clinics being run for those patients who need to be seen, which would need to be arranged in advance by phone. Contact 01656 752752.

 

Breast

  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital – Breast services (outpatient clinics/mammograms/surgery). Clinics have been relocated from the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, and patients are now being invited to attend clinics at Breast Test Wales, Cardiff. Patients will now receive breast surgery at the Vale Hospital.
  • Princess of Wales – Breast services (outpatient clinics/inpatient/surgery). At the present time, the majority of breast surgery is being undertaken at the Vale Hospital, with some continuing at Princess of Wales Hospital.

If you have any urgent queries in relation to Breast services, please contact: 

  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital – 01443 443443 Ext 73056 or Ext 76338  
  • Princess of Wales Hospital – 01656 752018

 

Rapid Diagnostic Clinic (RDC)

Due to current circumstances, the RDC is assessing patients virtually via telephone in order to undertake telephone and outpatient clinics with patients.

Patients will still need to attend for a CT scan, and they will be telephoned with their appointment date at Royal Glamorgan Hospital. Patients will then either be contacted via telephone with their results, or will need to attend the outpatient clinic in Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda.

If you have any urgent queries relating to RDC, please call 01443 443443 Ext 74092.

 

Clinical Haematology Service

In order to increase capacity on the major sites and better protect our patients, the Clinical Haematology Services from Prince Charles Hospital and Royal Glamorgan Hospital (Day Units and OPD) have been temporarily relocated to the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre near the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.

To contact the Clinical Haematology service, please phone 01443 443443 Ext 28392/28544.

Alternative contact numbers are below: 

  • Princess of Wales – 01792 285364 (Singleton Day Unit)
  • Royal Glamorgan Hospital – 01443 443443 Ext 6329 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm)
  • Prince Charles Hospital – 01685 724433 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm)
  • Out of Hours – 01441 443443 (Haematology consultant on call)
Follow us: