What to expect: Who should manage your care?
This page explains the professionals involved in your care.
What’s in the What to expect from your care section?
- What to expect from your care if you have pancreatic cancer
- What to expect: Who should manage your care?
- What to expect: Understanding your diagnosis and treatment options
- What to expect: Care if your cancer can’t be cured
- What to expect: How will symptoms and side effects be managed?
- What to expect: Practical and emotional support
- What to expect: What information and support is there for families?
- What to expect: Support if you have concerns about your care
Specialist teams and specialist centres
Your diagnosis should be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). The MDT is the team of medical professionals responsible for your treatment and care. They will work out the best treatment and care for you, and should take your wishes into account.
The MDT may be based at a specialist centre. A specialist centre is a hospital where there is a team of medical professionals who specialise in pancreatic cancer. There are specialist centres across the UK. Local hospitals work with the specialist centres to make sure people get the best treatment and care.
You may not need to go to the specialist centre or meet all the members of the MDT. You may be treated at your local hospital’s cancer unit, but your consultant (senior doctor) or nurse should tell you what the MDT recommends.
A key contact to support you
The hospital should provide a key contact to support you during your treatment and care. They will help coordinate your care if you are having treatment for the cancer.
You should be told who this key contact is early on, and if it changes. It’s important that you know how to contact them. If you are not sure, ask any member of the medical team
The key contact may be a specialist nurse, sometimes called a clinical nurse specialist or CNS. They provide expert support, care and advice.
You may also have a patient care coordinator or navigator. These are only available in some hospitals, or may be called something different. They will work with the medical team and CNS to coordinate your care, including across different hospitals.
Your CNS or care coordinator may change if the hospital where you receive care changes.
Compassionate care
You should be treated with compassion, dignity and respect at all times by your medical team. This includes listening to your concerns and taking your wishes into account.
"I know if I’ve got any kind of worry or something comes up, I can just pick that phone up and ask for my clinical nurse."
Updated August 2024
Review date August 2026