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Home » Get support » About Macmillan Nurses

Getting a Macmillan Nurse

To obtain the services of a Macmillan nurse, you must be referred by your GP, your hospital consultant, a district nurse or a hospital ward sister. Don't hesitate to ask them if there are Macmillan nurses available in your area.

Macmillan nurse at workThere are more than 3119 Macmillan nurses across the UK, working both in hospitals and in the community. Some are general cancer nurses, while others specialise in a specific area, such as breast or lung cancer, chemotherapy, or children's cancers.
Macmillan nurses are free of charge to cancer patients.

Who can get a Macmillan nurse

Not all the areas of the country are covered by Macmillan nurses. Some GPs might not be familiar with how to refer to a Macmillan nurse. Patients having difficulties getting access to a nurse, can call the Macmillan CancerLine on Freephone 0808 808 2020.

The CancerLine can help with the following:

  • find out where the GP is located
  • find the nearest hospice or palliative care centre and refer patients there.

What Macmillan nurses actually do

Macmillan nurses specialise in cancer and palliative care, providing support and information to people with cancer, and their families, friends and carers, from the point of diagnosis onwards. Macmillan nurses do the following:

  • offer specialised pain and symptom control
  • provide emotional support, both for the patient and their family and/or carer
  • give care in a variety of settings – in hospital (both inpatient and outpatient), at home or from a local clinic
  • provide information about cancer treatments and side effects
  • offer advice to other members of the caring team, for example district nurses and Marie Curie nurses
  • coordinate care between hospital and the patient's home
  • advise on access to other forms of support, eg financial help.

Macmillan nurses usually work normal office hours although this can vary. If you require urgent out of hours help, please contact NHS Direct on NHS Direct, 0845 4647 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

What Macmillan nurses do not do:

  • Macmillan nurses work in addition to general nursing staff, who provide day-to-day care for patients in hospitals and elsewhere
  • Macmillan Nurses do not carry out routine nursing tasks, such as personal hygiene, changing dressings, and giving medicines
  • Macmillan nurses do not focus on non-cancer patients, but are increasingly sharing experience and working with colleagues caring for people with other conditions and do provide some support.

If a Macmillan nurse is unavailable, the service will usually ensure that a recorded phone message provides phone numbers of other services that can be contacted out-of-hours. If you require urgent out of hours help, please contact NHS Direct on NHS Direct, 0845 4647 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk