Main outpatients
Kingston Hospital
Galsworthy Road
Kingston
Surrey KY2 7QB
This clinic is for patients who are experiencing symptoms which are hard to diagnose. Symptoms may, for example, include non-specific abdominal pain, unintentional weight loss, persistent fatigue, or loss of appetite.
Most patients we see will not have cancer.
People who have symptoms which are suggestive of a specific cancer or non-cancerous condition and require specialist advice, will be referred directly to the appropriate speciality.
How to access our services
Please see your GP if you have something that you feel is not right or symptoms which you are concerned about. Your GP will assess your symptoms and may refer you to the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic as appropriate. In parallel, your GP may request tests to provide the clinic with more information about you.
Our Team
Our Patient Navigator will be your first point of contact throughout your journey with the RDCC. Working closely with the Advanced Nurse Practitioner, they will coordinate appointments for you, track your progress through the clinic, and help you to overcome any barriers.
Advanced Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses who have undergone extra training and higher academic qualifications. ANP’s can examine, assess, make diagnoses, treat, prescribe, and make referrals for patients within their individual scope of practice. The RDCC ANP will be your keyworker and advocate for your care.
These are GPs, who in addition to their core general practice, have a specialist interest and have undertaken additional training in cancer care.
These are senior doctors who practice general medicine in the hospital. Some may also have a specialist area which they also practice, such as respiratory, gastroenterology or rheumatology.
Depending on your symptoms, you may meet one, or all, of the team during your care in the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic.
Further information
Click here to see our leaflet – A0166 Rapid diagnostic cancer clinic
Please tell us about your recent experience of the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic by completing our survey. Please visit the page: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EETB1O/ or by scanning the QR code below:
Useful resources
Websites
This page lists some useful links to other sites that may be of interest to you. This does not mean we endorse or accept responsibility for the sites or the information found on them.
Stress
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/stress/
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/stress/
Sleep
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/
Healthy eating
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/
Exercise
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/
Smoking
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/nhs-stop-smoking-services-help-you-quit/
Alcohol
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/
Physiotherapy
For advice and support, or to change or cancel an appointment, please call the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Clinic line:
07341 805011
This phoneline is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
If calling out of hours, please leave a message and a member of the team will get back to you.
Our email : khft.rdcc.@nhs.net
If you need urgent medical advice
If you need to cancel your appointment
Please always let us know using the telephone number above if you can’t attend your appointment so that someone else can use it.
Information for Health Care Professionals on how to refer your patients:
Referrals can be made via the Electronic Referral Service (ERS) using the RDCC referral form.
The following information is also contained within the RDCC referral form:
Before referring a patient to this service
Patients should be:
In addition to a full clinical assessment and examination, the GP is asked to arrange the following preliminary investigations before referral. Within the last 3 months all patients should have:
In addition, and where appropriate, patients with abdominal symptoms and/or weight loss also require:
If these tests do not result in an identified cause of the patient’s symptoms, the patient should be referred to the rapid access diagnostics clinic.
Please note: it will be difficult to make a clinical assessment of your patient without these preliminary investigations. We will not be able to accept the referral without the results of these investigations.
Urgent referrals
Many symptoms can indicate a specific cancer diagnosis (for example cough, abnormal vaginal bleeding, change in bowel habit, dysphagia and haematuria). Any patients meeting the urgent suspected cancer referral guidelines for a specific malignancy should be referred using the appropriate urgent suspected cancer referral pathway and referral forms.
There may be patients for whom waiting test results is not appropriate (i.e in the case of clinical urgency) and the reason for this should be highlighted on the referral. To discuss urgent referrals, please contact the team directly on the number above and we will aim to review the patient quickly.
