Cancer patients at Wrexham Maelor Hospital are benefitting from a new service which has reduced their wait time for treatment during their visit to hospital and improved their experience of booking appointments.

The Shooting Stars Unit has launched a new ‘rapid chemotherapy chair’ service which enables a specially-trained nurse to deliver treatment for patients with up to 10 patients a day, in a designated area on the unit.

The service sees patients after cycle one receiving oral and sub-cutaneous chemotherapy as well as hormone therapy, as well as bisphosphonates for bone fracture prevention.

The new service also frees up bays for other patients whose treatment is more complex and takes longer.

Project lead Julie Jones, a Systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) Nurse, launched the service in September and have received excellent feedback so far from our patients and staff so far.

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Julie said: “The aim and purpose was to streamline the care and give patients a more positive experience. We found that patients coming into hospital for their appointment for this type of treatment were waiting for up to an hour, resulting in a negative experience, so we thought about what improvements we could make and were aware of the positive results a rapid chair can have.

“Now we call the patient on the morning of their appointment and do a preassessment over the phone, we then authorise their treatment straight away so when they come in for their appointment, their drugs are ready for them. They come in and sit straight int the Rapid Chemotherapy Chair and can be finished within 15 minutes.

“The designated chair ensures we have capacity for these patients and it frees spaces for other patients with more complex issues.”

Outcomes of the new service will be presented to Ysbyty Gwynedd and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd to review further roll-out of the service across the Health Board.