Haematology support video launched
A haematology support video which details the emotional, financial and practical support for patients has been launched.
Fronted by haematology nurses from various health boards in Wales, and funded by the Wales Cancer Network, the video offers clear tips and signposts to help people living with haematology cancers.
We asked Charlotte Bloodworth, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Cardiff and Vale UHB to tell us a bit more about this very useful resource that can be accessed on YouTube via a QR code.
Where did the idea for the video come from, and what is the main ambition for the video?
There are a wealth of support services for people with haematology cancers in Wales and as a small, but very motivated group of haematology specialist nurses, we felt the time was right to update the way we let people know about these services.
We had the idea of creating a YouTube video accessible through a QR code. This way people can access recommended information on their own mobile phones/home tablets rather than using our traditional methods of leaflets and posters, most of which were quickly out of date and most of which were removed during the recent pandemic by infection control!
Our ambition was to create equal access to information about haematology support services across all the health boards in Wales, promoting the services that, from our combined experience of over 80 years plus, we found to be the most useful.
Behind the scenes we involved haematology specialist nurses from every health board in Wales and included all feedback in the video so that the results would be useful for all.
Although we recommend several national charities, we particularly wanted to highlight what each of them offered for people in Wales. The video is aimed at people in Wales diagnosed or living with a haematology cancer but we found that it is also very useful for staff new to the area as well.
Where will people see the video?
As it is accessible via a QR code, people can see the video wherever they want to, in hospital while they are having treatment or at home. We have provided a flyer for people to take home with them if they wanted with the code on, if they are not very tech savvy or want friends or family involved.
For the few people who do not have access to a mobile phone they can be shown the video on any hospital tablet/computer which has internet access.
The video is a great source of advice with key tips, what feedback are you getting from patients and their families?
As part of our project we piloted the draft version on both patients and staff in various health boards and we received very positive feedback from all. Our only negative feedback was from ourselves as we are not used to being in front of cameras!
What are the top five tips?
Tip 1 – Use the haematology charities as well as more general cancer charities.
Blood cancer charities:
Waldenstrom’s Macmrobulineaemia
Other support:
Tip Two – Get financial advice
Tip 2 – Get financial advice.
Tip 3 Find out what emotional support is available to you.
Tip 4 Make sure you get your individual concerns assessed and addressed.
Tip 5 Use your key worker, clinical nurse specialist or chemo nurse for any extra individualised tips.
Who helped to make the video?
- Phillipa Krelle Macmillan Haematology Support Worker, Hywel Dda UHB
- Eirian Gravell Specialist Haematology Nurse, Hywel Dda UHB
- Tracey Thomas Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Hywel Dda UHB
- Alison Pugh Macmillan Haematology Specialist Nurse, Aneurin Bevan UHB
- Charlotte Bloodworth Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Haematology, Cardiff and Vale UHB
- And Rebecca Bowen Lymphoma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Cardiff and Vale UHB who helped on our Welsh version
How was the filming experience?
We found the filming a very exciting experience and we were so lucky to be able to film in such a beautiful and iconic setting of the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthen. On the video, you can hear the birds in the great glass house singing in the background. It looks very professional but that is down to our fantastic filming crew headed by Nathen Edwards, who had a hard task trying to direct all of us while also trying not to film the garden visitors who occasionally wandered across the set.
Are there any plans for further videos?
The video is only 10 minutes long so we had to be precise in what we included, there really is so much available to support patients in Wales that we could have done a whole boxset!