Lena Richards
Title: Improved outcomes with a centralised Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression Coordinator Service
Biography
Lena
trained in Manchester and qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1982. She has
worked in oncology since 1993 at The Christie Cancer Centre in the North West
of England. She was a member of the national Association of Chartered
Physiotherapists in Oncology and Palliative Care (ACPOPC) committee for 7
years. She has been involved in many projects and national initiatives some of
which include writing the Rehabilitation chapter in the NICE Supportive &
Palliative Guidelines, co-ordinating the Willie Fourie Connective Tissue
courses aimed at breast cancer patients and production of the ‘Be active, Stay
active’ exercise booklet and film. She became interested in the management
of Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression (MSCC) in the late 1990s and was one of
the founders of the steering group in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
This has resulted in comprehensive MSCC guidelines, the ‘Red Flags’ alert card
and publication of this project. In 2014 she developed the innovative MSCC
service which has resulted in a coordinated pathway and service for patients
and has led to significant improvements in early diagnosis, treatment and
survival.
Research Interest
Metastatic Spinal
Cord Compression
