Renfrewshire Council

If you live in Renfrewshire and have been affected or diagnosed with cancer or a long-term health condition, our Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ) and Long-term Conditions (LTC) teams are here to help you.

The service is here for people who have been diagnosed with:

• Cancer
• Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease (COPD)
• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Heart failure
• Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Other long-term health conditions

We also provide support for family members and carers.

We currently only offer support for physical health conditions and not mental health issues.

Who you can contact for mental health support.

What we can help with

We're here to help everyone with a cancer diagnosis or a long-term health condition live life as fully as they can, providing physical, financial, and emotional support.

You can talk to us about how you feel, get help with money or housing worries, or help at home.

You may want to discuss:

• your physical symptoms, like pain, tiredness, or weight changes.
• your emotions - for example, the effect your long-term condition has on your relationships.
• your family - such as how to talk about your condition, or whether your family are at risk of getting it.
• your well-being - for example, giving up smoking, eating healthily or staying active.
• work, money, and housing - for example, advice about working during treatment, benefits, and financial help.
• practical issues - such as how to manage housework and where to get aids and equipment to help you.
• spirituality - such as your faith or beliefs and whether your condition has affected these.

We will work with you to determine the right kind of help and support you need.

We can also give you details of other organisations who can provide support or contact them on your behalf.

How it works

When you contact us, you will be assigned a key coordinator who will discuss your needs with you and help you access tailored information and support. 

We do this through a Holistic Needs Assessment. In a Holistic Needs Assessment, you answer a simple set of questions or fill in a checklist about the areas of your life that are important to you.  

You do not need to answer all the questions asked, just the ones that matter to you. This is to find out about the concerns you may have. You rate how important each of these concerns are to you.  This can help you decide what to discuss first.

A Holistic Needs Assessment usually takes around 1 hour, and your first appointment will be by phone or video call, or in some circumstances face to face.  

If there are still some things you want to talk about at the end of your first appointment, tell your coordinator. They can make another appointment with you.

Your care plan

You and your coordinator will then work together to develop a care plan. From there, you can explore what resources, help, and support are available.

The care plan may include things like ideas to help you manage emotional, physical, or practical worries. It will also include contact details for organisations or services that could help with your concerns.

Your coordinator will write down the actions you agree on and give you a copy of this.

If you wish, a copy of the care plan may be given to:

• your GP, so they know your concerns and what help is planned
• other members of your healthcare team, to help them plan or improve your care
• specialist support services.

Your coordinator will only share your care plan with your permission. They will only share as much information as people need to help with your care. Your care plan will be securely stored with your other health records. You can ask them for a review of your care plan or a new assessment at any time.

See our privacy policy.

How to ask for support

If you would like support from us:

• call us on 0300 300 1380
• fill in the online referral form 
• email us at adultservicesreferral.sw@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

You can also contact us on behalf of someone else, such as a family member or friend. 

If you're a health or social care professional

If you're a health or social care professional, you can refer a client.

Once we've received your referral, we will contact your client and arrange a Holistic Needs Assessment with them. They can then create a care plan with one of our key coordinators. 

We will send you a copy of their care plan, with your client's permission, to inform you of their concerns and what help has been planned to support them.

You can make a referral online or contact us at adultservicesreferral.sw@renfrewshire.gov.uk or 0300 300 1380.

Who we work with

This service is a partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.