A coordinated response

A coordinated response

When an elderly man was diagnosed with cancer in Spain, his treating doctors advised that he needed to start chemotherapy within 48 hours to survive - and Charles Taylor Assistance was called in to help.

Challenge:

We knew that starting chemotherapy treatment in Spain was an option for the patient, but that it would entail an extended stay in a foreign country, with no support network for him or his accompanying wife. Yet, transporting him home to the UK would necessitate COVID-19 tests, biopsy samples and admittance to a specialist UK oncology unit: all at the height of the pandemic. And time was short.

Solution:

Within just 34 hours, we had organised COVID-19 tests for the man and his wife, obtained his biopsy samples from a different hospital, confirmed insurance cover, transported him by land and air ambulances and transferred him to the care of a specialist UK oncology unit - where a pre-booked bed was ready and waiting. 

Benefits:

COVID-19 had made it harder to access global healthcare, disrupted repatriation schedules and elevated costs. But we used our worldwide network of partner providers and in-house specialists to overcome obstacles wherever we could.  And all sectors of our assistance and medical teams pulled together to ensure that the patient was safely transferred to the UK oncology unit for lifesaving treatment.