Travelling or moving for cancer care: planning between two cities

Start with why you want to travel

Begin with the patient’s priorities. What would the move make possible, and what might become harder? Discuss the following reasons with your care team and the people who will support you.

Costs, insurance or access through a government scheme may also influence where you go. Consider these alongside the care available and the support you will have there; confirm the actual arrangements before committing to the move.

To reach specialist care or get another opinion

You may need expertise, a procedure or a treatment that is not available locally, or want another specialist to review your options. Ask what the visit is expected to achieve and whether records can be reviewed first. A consultation does not automatically mean moving all your treatment to that centre.

To be nearer family or friends

Practical help with meals, transport, appointments and daily routines may make care more manageable. Find out who can help, how often and for how long. Alongside that support, confirm that a suitable local team can provide the treatment and monitoring you need.

To return to your hometown for ongoing care

Familiar surroundings, language and trusted people may matter particularly during a long course of treatment, recovery or symptom-focused care. Plan the clinical handover as carefully as you would when travelling to a specialist centre. If nursing, rehabilitation or palliative care is needed, check what is actually available there. Palliative care helps with symptoms and quality of life and can be given alongside cancer treatment.

Decide what care will happen in each city

The reason for travelling and the length of the move are separate questions. Agree which arrangement you are planning before making expensive or inflexible bookings.

Ask both teams who will prescribe treatment, review results and respond to problems during the changeover. Do not cancel planned care or change treatment dates on your own while arranging a move. A receiving doctor may need to assess you before confirming treatment; an appointment is not a confirmed treatment slot.

A consultation or second opinion

You travel for advice, then discuss the recommendations with your usual team. Ask whether a remote records review is suitable and what would still require an in-person visit.

A defined period of treatment

You stay for an operation, a course of treatment or a particular procedure. Ask about preparation, recovery and when it may be safe to leave—not just the date of the last treatment.

Care shared between two places

Some treatment may happen at one centre, with agreed tests or follow-up nearer where you live. Confirm that the local team is able and willing to provide its part, and how results will reach the doctor who must act on them.

A move for longer-term care

A new local team takes responsibility for agreed parts of your care, whether you are moving towards family or back home. Arrange a direct handover and the first review. Ask whether any specialist visits elsewhere will still be needed.

Prepare a record folder that both teams can use

Ask your current team for a brief clinical summary covering the diagnosis, stage if known, treatment so far and the proposed next step, alongside the relevant full records. Organise readable copies by date, with your name and hospital number clear. Keep a copy you can access if there is no internet, and ask the receiving hospital how to send information securely.

Our Caregiver toolkit includes a one-page care summary, medicine records, symptom diaries and appointment notes you can fill in and print. These help you explain day-to-day needs and questions; take the hospital records as well.

• Pathology and biopsy reports, including addenda and biomarker results. Ask the laboratories about slides or tissue blocks only if the receiving team requests them, including safe transport and return arrangements.
• Scan reports and the actual images in the format requested. Check that discs or download links open.
• Operation notes, discharge summaries and radiotherapy treatment details, where applicable.
• Cancer treatment names, doses and dates already given, the last treatment date, and important reactions, side effects or dose changes.
• A current prescription list, including supportive medicines and supplements, allergies, other medical conditions and relevant recent blood results.
• Pending tests or reports, when results are expected, and the person responsible for forwarding and acting on them.
• Team contact details, referral letters, identity documents and insurance or scheme paperwork. Keep copies of originals submitted and ask for an acknowledgement.

Choose a place to stay and realistic support

Whether you are paying for accommodation or staying with relatives or friends, check the same essentials: enough space for you and a caregiver, privacy and quiet for rest, clean water, usable bathroom facilities, meals, and lift or ground-floor access if needed. Consider the actual journey to the correct hospital branch, including traffic and transport at night.

With hosts, talk openly about the likely length of stay, household routines and the help they can realistically provide. Agree who will assist with transport, food and appointments, and a backup if your stay extends or the caregiver becomes unavailable. Family support is valuable, but medical or nursing tasks may need training or a professional service.

Caregivers also need rest, their own medicines and time for responsibilities at home. For a longer move, sharing tasks or rotating support may be more manageable. Ask about language or accessibility support if it would help you understand the plan.

Ask the hospital help desk or social worker about accommodation or support they can verify. Confirm availability, cost and cancellation terms before paying. If medicines need refrigeration or you need equipment or nursing at home, check the arrangements with the relevant clinical team before relying on them.

Check costs and scheme arrangements before committing

Ask for a written treatment estimate and what it includes. Allow separately for accommodation, meals, transport, a caregiver’s stay and time away from work, with room for a longer stay or an unplanned visit. An estimate is not a guaranteed final bill. Confirm any railway concession or travel assistance with the official provider before booking.

With insurance, check the specific hospital branch, planned treatment, room category, exclusions and pre-authorisation requirements. Cashless approval may still leave expenses to pay. Keep invoices, prescriptions and receipts, and check which originals are needed for a claim. Our care, costs and support guide can help you prepare these questions.

If travelling to use the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Arogya Bhagya Yojane (ABY) or a similar government scheme, confirm that the hospital branch accepts the scheme for your planned care and has the required service. Ask the hospital scheme desk and relevant scheme office which referral documents and approvals are needed. Our ECHS and Arogya Bhagya guide explains the CTI pathway.

Arrange accommodation near the confirmed hospital. Do not assume that the scheme covers accommodation, meals, travel or a caregiver’s stay; check any support separately. Discuss an expected funding gap with the hospital early so possible support can be explored.

Use these two checklists together

Checklist A covers the city you are leaving; Checklist B covers the city you are going to. The same numbered topics appear in both, so you can compare the answers. They apply whichever direction you travel, including a return to your hometown.

For each relevant item, note what is confirmed, what is still to be arranged, who will arrange it and by when. You can mark items that do not apply. Work through the clinical questions with the care teams and the practical questions with the coordinator and caregiver. The patient or family should not have to resolve conflicting medical instructions alone.

Checklist A: the city you are leaving

Gather the following information from your current care team, hospital and the people helping you prepare.

1. Purpose and timing

Explain why you want to move and what matters to you. Ask what care is needed next, how time-sensitive it is, and whether the proposed departure could interfere with treatment or recovery.

2. The responsible team

Record your current doctor’s and coordinator’s contact details. Ask who will send the referral or clinical handover and who remains your contact until the receiving team takes over. If care will be shared, request a clear division of responsibilities.

3. Records and pending results

Collect the record folder described above and a list of anything outstanding. Confirm who will send later results and to whom. Ask which original documents or tissue material must be returned after review.

4. Treatment and medicines

Get the treatment given so far, the current plan and the next due dates in writing where possible. Check the medicines you need during the transition, enough supply for the agreed period and possible delays, and any storage instructions. Do not alter doses to fit travel.

5. Tests and ongoing care

Ask what monitoring is due around the move and who will review it. Document any wound, drain, stoma, feeding tube or central-line care, rehabilitation or symptom-control needs, including supplies and training required.

6. Journey and access

Ask whether the proposed mode and length of travel are appropriate for you now. Discuss assistance, a companion, any medical clearance and equipment requirements. If you are too unwell for ordinary travel, ask the treating team to arrange an appropriate transfer.

7. Urgent help

Obtain written warning signs and the urgent contact route while you are still in this city or awaiting transfer. Ask what to do if you become unwell before departure and what information to carry for emergency staff.

8. Costs and approvals

Collect relevant scheme cards, referrals, insurance authorisations and claim records. Check with the scheme office or insurer whether the move requires fresh documents or approval; an existing approval should not be assumed to cover another hospital.

9. Stay and caregiver

Describe your daily care and access needs to the people at your destination. Agree who will travel with you, who will cover responsibilities at home, and a backup caregiver. Ask the team which tasks need training or professional help.

10. Next review and communication

Write down any appointments or results still due from this team and how to stay in touch. Agree how recommendations from the receiving team will be shared, and who needs to know if the move is postponed or the plan changes.

Checklist B: the city you are going to

Confirm these matching details with the receiving hospital, care team and the people supporting you there. Sending a request is only the first step; check the arrangements have been received and agreed.

1. Purpose and timing

Confirm that the service you need is available at the named hospital branch, along with the doctor, appointment date and location. Ask what can happen at the first visit, likely waiting times and how long you may need to stay.

2. The responsible team

Identify the doctor or service accepting responsibility for the agreed care and a contact for practical questions. Check that the handover has reached them and that any gaps in responsibility between the two teams have been resolved.

3. Records and pending results

Ask whether the records and scan images are accessible and sufficient for the first assessment. Confirm any pathology review or extra material needed, how pending reports should be sent, and who will review them. Do not arrange repeat tests without checking what is needed.

4. Treatment and medicines

Confirm whether the proposed treatment can be provided and what must happen before a date is agreed. Ask how prescriptions and medicine supplies will be arranged. Have the team reconcile your old and new medicine lists so you know what to continue, change or stop.

5. Tests and ongoing care

Confirm where tests will be done, when results are needed and who will act on them. Arrange any required nursing, equipment, rehabilitation or palliative-care support before it is needed; check access and cost rather than assuming these are included.

6. Journey and access

Confirm arrival instructions, transport from the station or airport, and access to the clinic or ward. Arrange wheelchair or other assistance if needed. If a medically supported transfer is required, the sending and receiving teams should coordinate it.

7. Urgent help

Save the receiving unit’s urgent number, after-hours arrangements and the appropriate local emergency department. Ask where to go if you become unwell before your first appointment or if the usual team cannot be reached.

8. Costs and approvals

Obtain the hospital estimate and confirmation of insurance or scheme acceptance for the planned care. Check required authorisations, deposits or uncovered items, and budget separately for living and travel costs. Record who can help with unresolved funding questions.

9. Stay and caregiver

Confirm the address, available space, meals, bathroom access and realistic hospital travel time. Check the named caregiver or hosts can meet the agreed needs, and that any professional care and supplies are arranged. Keep an alternative if the stay or support changes.

10. Next review and communication

Agree the next appointment and how both teams will receive updates. If you will return or move again, ask what needs to be completed first and who will provide ongoing prescriptions, results review and follow-up at that point.

Before setting off

Check that the appointment, essential care arrangements and place to stay still stand. Keep contact numbers, prescriptions, the care summary and essential medicines accessible during the journey. Ask the pharmacy about storage for the whole trip; do not assume a vehicle, hotel or aircraft fridge is suitable.

For a long journey, ask about safe movement and any individual blood-clot precautions. Do not start aspirin or a blood thinner for travel on your own. Check the transport provider’s arrangements for medical equipment or assistance in advance.

If the destination cannot provide something essential in time, ask both teams to agree an alternative before changing your existing care. If your health has changed since travel was discussed, contact the team again rather than relying on the earlier plan.

If you become unwell before or during travel

During chemotherapy, a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or above needs immediate contact with your treating team or urgent assessment; follow a lower threshold if your unit advises it. Feeling seriously unwell also needs assessment even without fever. Do not continue a long journey simply to reach your usual or intended cancer centre.

Use the nearest appropriate emergency service for severe symptoms such as collapse, confusion, new severe breathlessness or chest pain. Tell staff about your cancer treatment and when it was last given. Once urgent care is underway, the teams can coordinate the next step.

After arrival, and before any further move

At the first review, confirm that the new team has the records, check the medicine list together and explain any change in symptoms since the referral. Leave knowing the next appointment, where tests will be done, who will review them and whom to contact. If the plan changes, ask for the updated instructions to be shared with everyone involved.

If this is now your longer-term home, check that day-to-day arrangements remain workable after the first few days. Tell the team if travel to appointments, costs or caregiver demands are becoming difficult. Support and care arrangements may need adjusting as your needs change.

If you are returning to your earlier city, use the same two checklists in reverse. Request an updated treatment or discharge summary, prescriptions and follow-up plan, and confirm the receiving appointment. Ask when it is medically appropriate to travel; the last treatment day or discharge date does not necessarily mean you are ready for a long journey.

Common questions

Related reading

• Care, costs and support
• Getting started with care
• Contact CTI and appointment options
• Caregiver toolkit
• Understanding your biopsy report