This is a 1 year pilot currently only available to patients at Worthing Hospital.
What is cancer prehab?
Research shows that optimising your health through improving your activity levels, eating well and supporting your emotional wellbeing better prepares people for their cancer treatments.
The aim of the programme is to empower you to maximise your resilience to treatment and improve your long term health.
Cancer prehab is a course of prescribed exercise and wellbeing sessions. The programme is delivered by Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Dieticians.
How can I join the programme?
Your consultant / health care clinician can refer you to the cancer prehab service as part of your on-going treatment for cancer.
What does the programme involve?
The cancer prehab programme is a 4 week programme monitoring your exercise and sharing some wellbeing session videos.
Initially you will be contacted and invited to attend an appointment with the physiotherapist who will assess your current activity levels. Depending on your preference, we can arrange 1:1 or class based exercises and agree an exercise programme for you to continue at home.
We will telephone you once a week to monitor how your home exercise is progressing and to check if you have any follow up questions.
Further details will be provided at your first assessment appointment.
This programme will help you to manage symptoms, day to day tasks and help you to prepare emotionally and physically for the next phase of your treatment.
Some benefits of exercise:
- muscle strengthening
- reducing tiredness/fatigue and
- increasing energy levels
- reducing anxiety and depression
- improving confidence, mood and quality of life
- reducing the side effects of treatment
- improving sleep quality
What will the online wellbeing sessions focus on?
- eating well during and beyond treatment
- managing sleep and fatigue
- stress and anxiety management
- local support services available
- the benefits of exercise during and after treatment
What happens next?
Once your referral is sent to the cancer prehab team, you will receive a telephone call from a member of the team. They will tell you more about the programme and invite you to attend the initial assessment appointment.
What happens if I don’t want to take part?
When a member of the team calls you they will outline the benefits of the cancer prehab programme.
If you don’t wish to take part, this decision will be respected and does not affect any of your other treatment options.
Other useful information
Cancer prehab offers you the opportunity to speak with health care professionals and optimise your health before your treatment.
Further information about cancer can be found at: