Appointments

Before your appointment

We will call you to talk about your needs. It helps us choose the most appropriate complementary therapy for you. Sometimes another service might be more useful and we will help refer you for this instead.

It is helpful for us to know about:

• any other services involved with your care
• what medicines you are taking

We do not allow visitors to come with you as a rule. This is due to the size of our treatment rooms. If you want a chaperone, please let us know during your assessment call.

Please have something light to eat before your treatment and wear comfortable clothing. It is a good idea to bring a bottle of water with you for afterwards.

Supply of oxygen

We cannot provide oxygen or medication. Please bring enough supplies to cover your appointment and your journeys to and from the hospital.

During your appointment

During the pre-appointment assessment call we will:

• talk about your needs
• take a medical history
• tell you what to expect from the therapy

We then book you in for face-to-face treatment sessions. Depending on the therapy, this is usually between 4 and 6 sessions.

Each outpatient treatment session lasts around 40 minutes. They are shorter if you have this during chemotherapy or on our wards.

We are a teaching hospital and may ask you if a student or another therapist can watch your treatment. It will not affect your care if you say no.

We may speak with the medical team treating you to help make sure your needs are being met. We'll only do this with your permission.

Before you leave we'll make sure you know when your next treatment session is.

After your appointment

We may provide you with some self-help advice for you to use at home.

We'll also try to:

• book any follow-up appointments with you, or
• refer you for other support

When you've completed all of your treatment sessions, you'll be discharged from our complementary therapies service.

Please ask if you want us to send a letter about the treatment you've had to your doctor or employer.