News

Rapid treatment chair cuts chemotherapy waiting times

Nurse-led service at Wirral cancer centre frees up bays for patients requiring more complex treatment
Fiona Courtnell

The introduction of a nurse-led service at a cancer centre has cut waiting times for patients who need chemotherapy.

Nurses at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Merseyside, proposed the introduction of a rapid chemotherapy chair, in which patients receive oral chemotherapy, subcutaneous treatments and drugs to prevent bone fractures. 


‘People coming here for oral treatments can be seen
much more quickly,’ says ward manager Fiona Courtnell.

The trust said this allows a specially trained nurse to see up to 15 patients a day and also book in the patients’ next appointments.

The rapid chemotherapy chair, which is in a purpose-built area of the ward, has most commonly been used for treatments for breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. 

The trust said the service frees up bays for patients who need more complex and longer treatment. Before the service was introduced in April this year, 59% of all patients were seen within 30 minutes, but this has increased to between 80-90%.

‘Simple idea’

The service was introduced at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral, but is now being rolled out to hospitals in the region.

Fiona Courtnell, a ward manager at the Wirral cancer centre, said: ‘Sometimes the best ideas are the simple ones.

‘The rapid chemotherapy chair means people coming here for oral treatments can be seen much more quickly. 

‘That improves their experience and also improves the experience of the patients who need more time on the ward.’

Recommended reading:

Teenagers with cancer need access to fertility preservation services, urges nurse expert

Record numbers of NHS staff having flu vaccination, figures reveal

 

Jobs