Display Patient Information Leaflets

Hepatico-Pancreatico-Biliary Buddy Service

Posted Thursday, 17 September 2020

Date issued: December 2019

For review: December 2021

Ref: D-293/Oncology/SH/Buddy service v2

A Buddy is someone who is willing to share their own experience on a one-to-one basis with someone diagnosed with a cancer similar to their own. This could happen face-to-face or by phone. It is not a substitute for the professional team and they should not be answering clinical queries e.g. about medication.
In particular the Buddy system has been set up to help people cope with their surgical experience for cancer of the Pancreas, Bile Duct and for patients who have had liver surgery for Colorectal Cancer.
They would be complementing, rather than replacing existing and future support given by partners, family, friends and Healthcare Professionals.
They should treat all matters discussed confidentially e.g. patient’s identity, address, workplace and diagnosis can only be disclosed to a third person with the patient’s permission.
If you feel you would like to help other people through their operation then let your nurse specialist know and they will add you to their list of contacts. If a current patient asks to talk to someone who has gone through the same operation, your specialist nurse will contact you and offer you the opportunity to talk to them. The level of contact you have with each other is entirely at your discretion, what you both feel comfortable with and have time for.

If you would like to use the Buddy service to talk to someone who has gone through the same treatments/ surgery as yourself, please contact your specialist nurses listed below. They will have a list of ‘buddies’ and their contact details and be able to connect you.
In addition to this specific surgical buddy support the Mustard Tree offers a buddying service for people with cancer or people who are caring for a loved one with cancer. This support is available at any point from diagnosis to end of treatment and beyond as people recover from their treatments and could include, befriending, assisting you getting to and from appointments, visiting you on the wards etc. Please contact your specialist nurse listed below in order to connect you.
We invite people to use The Mustard Tree as a place to meet, although this is entirely individual.

Claire Goulding: 01752 431527

HPB Cancer Nurse Specialist

Liz Whitby: 01752 431527

HPB Cancer Nurse Specialist