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Calling the London Regional Cancer Program

Telephone: 519-685-8600

Business Hours:

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday

After hours:

4:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., Monday to Friday, Weekends, and Statutory Holidays

Before you call LRCP, please have this information ready:

• Your name or the patient’s name
• Phone number where you can be reached
• Your LRCP chart number or your date of birth
• Name of your nurse and oncologist
• Reason for your call

Can a family member call on my behalf?

Calling During Business Hours: 8:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

What are my options when I call?

My condition has changed. What do I do?

Can I speak directly with my primary nurse?

What if I’m not home when my nurse calls?

Can I reorder my medicine by phone?

Can I call for my test results?

Who do I call if I need to change an appointment?

Calling After Hours, Weekends, and Holidays

Call LRCP immediately if you suddenly experience

Are there other times when I should call my family doctor?

Can a family member call on my behalf?

To protect your privacy, we need your consent to speak to a family member about your care. If you wish to choose one family member as your spokesperson, please give us the name of the person. Please talk to a member of your healthcare team about your wishes regarding privacy and confidentiality.

LRCP staff will not give information over the phone to a family member without your consent.

Calling During Business Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LRCP uses an automated telephone service. To speak with an operator at anytime during business hours:

• Call 519-685-8600

What are my options when I call?

You can choose one of the following options during regular business hours:

• Enter the 5 digit extension of the person you want to reach, followed by the # sign

• Press ‘2’ to confirm or change an appointment

• Press ‘3’ to reach Clinic Services and telephone triage nurses

• Press ‘4’ to talk about the Canadian Cancer Society’s Transportation Program

• Press ‘6’ to discuss making a donation

• Press ‘0’ to speak to an operator or stay on the line if you have a rotary phone

You may have more options after each of these choices. Please listen to the message and select the option that best suits your needs.

My condition has changed. What do I do?

If you are calling about symptoms or a change in your condition, you should speak to a Telephone Triage Nurse (Nursing Line) so they can assess your situation.

Press ’3’ to reach the Clinic Services and Nursing line. These lines are very busy. Please stay on the line until your call is answered. Calls are answered in the order they come in.

The Clinic Services and Nursing phones are answered Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. LRCP is closed on weekends and holidays, but there are always physicians on-call.

Can I speak directly with my primary nurse?

Nurses cannot be reached directly because they work in clinics during business hours.

When you connect to the Nursing Line, it is important to tell the Telephone Triage Nurse why you are calling. A message will be given to your Nurse describing your concerns or questions.

If you need a call back from your Nurse, it may take up to 3 business days. If you are calling about symptoms or a change in your condition, the Telephone Triage Nurse will assess your situation and give you directions about what to do next.

What if I’m not home when my nurse calls?

If you have an answering machine or voicemail, please leave your family name or phone number on the message so the nurse is certain that a message is left for the correct person. If this information is not on your answering machine, hospital staff will not leave a message. We do this to protect your privacy.

Can I reorder my medicine by phone?

Some prescriptions cannot be renewed over the phone. You will have to renew them with your Family Doctor or at LRCP. Medicine prescribed by your Oncologist may take three working days to reorder. Please keep track of your medicines to that you do not run out.

Can I call for my test results?

Test results will be reviewed with you at your next visit. Staff are unable to respond to calls about test results.

Who do I call if I need to change an appointment?

You may need to change an appointment because of an unexpected illness, personal emergency or bad weather. If this happens, please call 519-685-8600 as soon as possible. Press ’2’ to change your appointment.

Calling After Hours, Weekends and Holidays

LRCP has doctors on-call after hours and on weekends to consult with community doctors and to talk with patients who are having trouble getting local medical help.

When you call after hours, you may choose one of these options:

• Press ‘2’ to reach the on-call Oncologist.
• Press ‘3’ for information about appointments.
  

Call for help if you have:

If you have any sudden changes in your condition, call the LRCP Telephone Triage Nurse (TTN) at 519-685-8600 and press ‘3’. This line is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. Please have your chart number ready.

 

Call for help if you have:

• A fever that is higher than 100.4°F or 38°C and you are on chemotherapy;
• Breathing problems;
• Increased pain;
• Loss of feeling or movement in your arms or legs, especially if you have trouble emptying your bladder;
• Vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours;
• Diarrhea that lasts more than 12-24 hours;
• Constipation for 72 hours that is not relieved by laxatives;
• Bleeding that will not stop;
• Confusion and increased sleepiness;
• Seizures and convulsions;
• Swelling or pain in your arms or legs;
• Your arms or legs suddenly feeling hot or cold to the touch;
• New pain, especially in the spine.

If you become very short of breath or develop severe chest pain, call 911 or go directly to the nearest Emergency Department.

After hours, weekends, and holidays call 519-685-8600 and press ‘2’ to reach the on-call Oncologist.

If you live outside of London, call the TTN, your family doctor, or go to your nearest Emergency Department. If you receive treatment outside of LRCP, please tell your healthcare team at your next visit..

Are there other times when I should call my family doctor?

Your Family Doctor is an important part of your health care team and should be called:

• To renew all drugs prescribed by your Family Doctor. The LRCP
• Pharmacy only renews drugs prescribed by LRCP Doctors.
• To renew drugs prescribed by your Oncologist to manage side effects. This might include medicines for constipation, nausea and pain.
• For test results done at any hospital. These may include blood tests or x-rays. Your Family Doctor's office can call the hospital directly to get your results.
• If you have more questions about your cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• If you have any changes in your health between visits to the London Regional Cancer Program such as a cold or the flu.
• For health problems your Doctor has been treating you for, such as a heart condition, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Your Family Doctor can call LRCP for information about your care or to inform us of changes in your health. Reports regarding your care will be sent to your Doctor.

If you do not have a Family Doctor
Call 1-800-445-1822 to link with the Health Care Connect patient registry:
www.health.gov.on.ca/ms/healthcare connect/public/index.html