“………. care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease. The goal of supportive care is to prevent or treat as early as possible the symptoms of a disease, side effects caused by treatment of a disease, and psychological, social, and spiritual problems related to a disease or it’s treatment”.
(National Cancer Institute NIH).

• Supportive Medicine can work alongside, and at the same time as, routine medical care and/or treatment aimed at curing or controlling the underlying disease (disease-modifying treatment).
• The approach is based on treating the whole person, with the focus on improving the patient’s comfort and quality of life.
• Particularly in the case of older patients with multiple co-existing medical illnesses, the Supportive Medicine Clinic aims to ensure the most appropriate and individualized plan of care, with an emphasis on coordination and streamlining of specialist input, and, where appropriate, reducing the need for attendance at multiple specialist clinics. This is achieved by close communication with a patient’s GP and other specialists.
• Serious illness can impact not only on a patient’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being, but also on their family. The Supportive Medicine Clinic can also offer support to families and carers, which, for some, may extend to Bereavement Support.
• Supportive Medicine may also be appropriate for patients who are recovering from a serious illness, e.g. Cancer Survivorship, but who have persistent physical symptoms or emotional distress, and are struggling to re-engage in normal living. It includes Cancer Rehabilitation. See SUREST® Programme.
• When appropriate, patients and families can be linked to members of the Integrative Supportive Medicine service, which includes interventional pain specialists, psychiatry, physiotherapy, dietetics, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, Mental Health & Well-Being Coaching, complementary therapies.
• For patients whose disease is more serious, and possibly life-limiting, Supportive Medicine can extend to offer palliative care.