MB who to call List

General information

Its important to try and contact the right person, first time, in the right manner for all unplanned
clinical problems. Always consider:
Am I contacting the correct person?
Am I using the correct communication method (eg if a medical emergency/urgent problem it
is usually better to talk than send an email which may not be read/acted on in time).

When at work, I am contactable either via my mobile phone (07971176931) or email
(mick.button@wales.nhs.uk) although for obvious reasons I tend not to answer the phone or emails
during clinics. For email, I will leave an out of office message if I am away, but this wont apply to
mobile phone messages.

I am routinely working away from Velindre all day Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Either email
me, use my mobile phone or leave a message with Tracy or another member of the team depending
on the nature of the problem.

I will generally see Velindre inpatients on a Thursday afternoon, but am happy to review
inpatients/give advice at other times if clinical problems necessitate this. I can review Nevill Hall
inpatients on a Tuesday and Royal Gwent inpatients on a Wednesday if I know about them in
advance.

Tracy Bell (02920 316232, Tracy.Bell@wales.nhs.uk ) or a covering secretary will know my
whereabouts and is very helpful at knowing who to direct calls to if you are unsure about who to
approach.

Suggestions about how/who to contact:

1) When I am not on leave

Non-urgent clinical problems: Tracy Bell (phone or email) or email me, using
Trust email policy re confidentiality (consider using the Velindre Patient Identifiable
Information form)
a clear definition of the problem in the body of the email (with appropriate patient
information so the correct patient is identified) and what the question is
a clear request of when a response is needed in the subject line of the email.

Urgent clinical problems: phone Tracy or myself, according to my weekly timetable.

It is difficult to answer the phone/check emails during clinics so please allow for this when leaving
messages, bearing in mind the urgency of your request.

If I am not available, emergency problems may need to go via the acute oncology SpR, following
trust guidance on when to call them but this should NOT be the first point of contact for problems.
The acute oncology SpR should only be contacted for medically urgent problems calls to the acute
oncology SpR will be monitored to ensure compliance.

2) When I am on leave

Non-urgent clinical problems: Tracy Bell 02920 31 6232 (or for advice about how to resolve a
problem relating to one of my patients generally)

For Lung cancer patients, Carol Davies (lung CNS) is very helpful for general enquiries: 01873 732860
or Carol.Davies12@wales.nhs.uk.

For Urology patients, Julie Simpson (01633 238976, Julie.Simpson2@wales.nhs.uk) or Janet Marty
(01633656143, Janet.Marty@wales.nhs.uk) are very helpful for general enquiries. Both are Gwent
urology CNSs.

For urgent clinical problems (definition: needs resolving within 24-48 hours) or where
medical/oncology advice is needed
Urology patient: agreed cover provided by Jason Lester/his SpR or Nachi Palaniappan
Lung patients: covering lung consultant contact Dr Alison Brewster/Dr Paul Shaw initially. If
unsuccessful, try Dr Jason Lester

Routine radiotherapy requests (eg marking up, approval, sign offs) should be directed to:

Urology cases: Jason Lester/His SpR/ Nachi Palaniappan
Lung cases: covering lung consultant - contact Dr Alison Brewster/Dr Paul Shaw initially. If
unsuccessful, try Dr Jason Lester (please also use the Friday morning lung team meeting to
help communication)

For clinical emergencies (need resolving same day) that cannot be addressed by any other means
Consultant on call or SpR on call, following trust guidance on when to call them.

I hope that this guidance is of some assistance. Please let me know if you have any problems with
suggestions, or any ideas for improvement.

Mick Button