Plasma cell multidisciplinary team (MDT) : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This page explains how our plasma cell multidisciplinary team (MDT) will support you during treatment. This team includes experts in different areas of medicine and care, such as doctors, nurses and dietitians.

Your treatment and care will be tailored to meet your specific needs. This means you may not meet every member of the team listed here.

Once we have all your test results, we will talk to you about your treatment options.

It’s important that you fully understand your treatment. Please ask us any questions about your care plan and we will do our best to give you clear answers. We will also give you written information about your diagnosis and treatment. If anything is unclear or you have questions about the written information, please ask us.

You may find it helpful to write down your questions before your appointment. You are also welcome to bring a family member or friend. They can help you remember what has been discussed and offer you support.

Plasma cell consultants

Plasma cell consultants are experts in diagnosing and treating myeloma, AL amyloidosis, POEMS syndrome and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). They also specialise in treating cancer using chemotherapy or targeted therapies.

During your clinic appointments, you will usually see your consultant or a member of their team.

Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)

Plasma cell CNSs are senior nurses who specialise in caring for people with myeloma, AL amyloidosis, POEMS syndrome and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). They offer information, support and advice throughout your diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

One of the CNSs will be your key worker. They will be the main point of contact for you, your family and anyone involved in your care.

If your key worker is away, another plasma cell CNS will be available to support you.

Macmillan plasma cell support worker

Support workers help the CNS team with daily tasks. They are not medically trained, so they cannot give medical advice. But they can speak to the relevant teams on your behalf and make referrals to different services. These include welfare and benefits advice or support with wigs and scarf tying.

The plasma cell support worker will try to meet you on your first visit to UCLH. They will explain the support available and offer you a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA). This helps to identify any concerns you may have, including physical, practical or emotional needs.

Clinical oncologists

Clinical oncologists are doctors who specialise in using radiotherapy (high-energy X-rays) to treat cancer.

Research team

UCLH is a large research centre, running many studies and clinical trials to improve the treatment and outcomes in plasma cell care.

Research studies may involve giving a blood sample or filling in a questionnaire.
Clinical trials may involve trying a new medication or procedure.

Your doctor will talk to you about any research studies and clinical trials that may be suitable for you. If you choose to join a clinical trial, a research nurse or clinical trial practitioner will be your main contact during that time.

It is entirely up to you whether you wish to get involved. If you decide not to take part or later want to withdraw, your treatment may change but you will still receive the same high standard of care.

Haematology pharmacy team

Haematology pharmacists will advise you on any medicines or chemotherapy prescribed for you. You will usually meet a pharmacist after your consultation in the clinic. Please bring a list of all the medicines you take to your clinic appointment.

The pharmacy team also supports patients in Daycare, Ambulatory Care, and on the wards.

Histopathology team

Consultant histopathologists specialise in examining tissue and cell samples. These samples come from biopsies, such as bone marrow biopsies, and other tests. Their work helps to diagnose and confirm the type of plasma cell cancer or disorder.

Radiological team

The radiological team are specialists in analysing images from PET, CT and MRI scans to confirm diagnosis.

Orthopaedic surgeons and spinal neurosurgeons

Orthopaedic surgeons are experts in bone, joint and muscle surgery. Spinal neurosurgeons treat spine conditions. If you have myeloma, you may need to be referred to these specialists to see if you need a spinal brace.

Transplant team

The transplant team are specialists in stem cell and bone marrow transplants.

Plasma cell admin team

Our plasma cell admin team help with confirming, booking and changing clinic appointments. They can also assist with coordinating tests, or resolving a problem you may have with a clinic letter.

MDT coordinator for the plasma cell team

The MDT coordinator:

Makes sure new patients are reviewed quickly
Organises the transfer and review of images, scans and biopsies
Records the results of MDT meetings.

Other members of the MDT

The team also includes other specialists, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, counsellors and dietitians. If you need to see one of them, we will arrange it.

The plasma cell MDT meets every week to discuss each patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan. They make sure every patient receives the best care, with the right tests and treatment.

The team’s recommendations for your treatment plan will be recorded in your medical notes. You will likely have an appointment with your consultant or CNS to discuss this. Sometimes, you may need to have more tests or see another specialist. We will let you know if this is the case and make the referral.

You can also ask your key worker or CNS for a phone call to discuss the meeting’s outcome.

We will keep your GP informed about your diagnosis, treatment and care. You will be copied into these letters as well.

If there is anything in the letters that you don’t understand, talk to your consultant at your next appointment, or call your key worker.

If you prefer not to receive these letters, please let your consultant or CNS know.

You can also view your letters and appointment details on our patient portal, MyCare UCLH. If you have trouble signing up, your CNS can assist you.

The myeloma clinic is on every Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon.
The AL amyloid and WM clinic is on every Tuesday afternoon.
The POEMS clinic runs one Monday afternoon a month and one Wednesday morning a month.

During your appointment, you will see a consultant or specialist registrar, and your key worker or CNS. A specialist registrar is a doctor training in a specialist field of medicine to become a consultant.

We are a large haematology centre and receive referrals from around the country. This means our clinics are busy and may run behind schedule. We will do our best to see you as near to your appointment time as possible, but delays may happen. This is usually because some consultations take longer than planned to meet the patients’ needs. The clinic reception staff will let you know if this happens. You can also ask them for an update if you’re worried.

If you would like to see a specific doctor, you can request it at the clinic reception. Please note that this may mean a longer waiting time.

Where appropriate, we hold telephone appointments instead of face-to-face ones. If your consultation with the doctor is over the phone, we will let you know in advance.

Blood tests

If you have a follow-up appointment in the clinic, you should have your blood test taken before your consultation. This is to make sure that we have all the information we need to be able to asses your condition and plan your treatment.

You can have your blood test on the lower ground floor of the Cancer Centre on the day of your face-to-face appointment. If you have a telephone consultation, you should have your blood test a couple of days in advance. We will talk to you about this in more detail.

You can now book your blood test using a new system called Switqueue. If you have any problems with using the system, speak to your CNS or support worker

The nursing teams on the haematology wards are led by a senior nurse called a charge nurse or ward sister. They care for people with blood conditions who receive complex chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell transplants.

The medical team caring for you during your hospital stay will visit you and review your care on a daily ward round.

Please note: Doctors working on the wards rotate regularly. Where possible, we will do our best to offer you continuity of care from both the nursing and medical staff.

Staying on non-haematology wards

There may be times when we need to move you to a different ward, for example an isolation ward. This can happen if you develop an infection that could be spread to other patients.

If there are no beds available on the haematology wards on the day of your planned admission, we may need to postpone it. Or we will admit you to a non-haematology ward until a bed becomes available on a haematology ward. If you are on a non-haematology ward, the haematology nursing and medical teams will visit you daily.

Patients admitted as an emergency would also initially stay on a non-haematology ward.

The inpatient team contact details

University College Hospital, 235 Euston Road, London NW1 2BU

Switchboard: 020 3456 7890

Ward T16 North extension numbers: 71683 / 71684

Grafton Way Building

1 Grafton Way, London WC1E 6JN

Switchboard: 020 3456 7890

Extension numbers:

Grafton Way 2 East: 68177 / 68123

Grafton Way 2 North: 68137 / 68174

Grafton Way 3 East: 68150 / 68175

Grafton Way 3 North: 68149 / 68178

Grafton Way 4 East: 68172 / 68169

Many of our patients have some or all their tests and treatment in Daycare or Ambulatory Care.

Daycare is led by senior nurses who manage a large team of specially trained nurses, support staff and doctors. It is divided into two parts:

Supportive Care Unit. This is where outpatient procedures take place, such as bisphosphonate infusions, blood transfusions or bone marrow tests. The team also assess and care for unwell patients.
Chemotherapy Daycare. This is where most chemotherapy treatments take place.

The Ambulatory Care Unit is where patients can have their treatment during the day and stay in a nearby hotel overnight.

Your doctor or CNS will advise you on the best setting to have your treatment. They will talk to you about this in detail.

The Daycare and Ambulatory Care team contact details

University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, Huntley Street, London WC1E 6AG

Chemotherapy Daycare (Second Floor): 020 3447 3893
Ambulatory Care Unit (Second Floor): 020 3447 8695
Supportive Care Unit (Fourth Floor): 020 3447 1808

The Macmillan Support and Information Service offers advice, support, and information to anyone affected by cancer or a blood condition. You can drop in any time between 9am and 4.45pm, Monday to Friday, or call 020 3447 8663.

PALS is a patient-friendly, easy-to-access service designed to provide a personal contact point to assist patients, relatives and carers. If you have a problem that you have not been able to resolve, PALS can help you.

The University College Hospital PALS office is located on the ground floor of the main hospital building and is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Telephone: 020 3447 3042

Email: uclh.PALS@nhs.net

Haematology telephone line: 020 3447 7359 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

This is a dedicated telephone line for all patient queries. It is managed by the haematology administrative staff. You can call this number if you wish to speak to your CNS, key worker or the support worker. The staff will also help with any admin queries, such as appointment changes.

If there is no one to take your call, you can leave a voicemail and a member of staff will call you back as soon as they can.