Second birthday for unit
MAIN PICTURE: The unit on site in Malton; BELOW: Cheryl Midgley
Our award-winning Mobile Chemotherapy Unit (MCU) has just turned two, and since taking to the road in 2017 it has had hundreds of visits from patients being treated closer to home.
The £700,000 unit travels to Malton, Scarborough, Selby and Bridlington, sparing people in outlying areas lengthy journeys for chemotherapy. It also helps alleviate capacity pressures at the main hospital chemotherapy units in York and Scarborough.
In its first 21 months the unit saw 1,666 visits. Each port of call boasts at least one patient who has used the unit 20 times or more. A particularly busy month was May this year, with 114 visits.
Cheryl Midgley, Lead Chemotherapy Nurse at York and Scarborough, says the MCU’s value is illustrated by the experience of one patient who visited no fewer than 28 times.
“For this patient, without the unit it would have been a trip of 40 miles altogether to receive a 15-minute treatment,” said Cheryl. “This would have meant 1,120 miles travelled equating to approximately 18 and a half hours’ travelling time. With the MCU it’s a five and a half mile trip, a seven-minute journey! This is just one small example.”
Users continue to sing the unit’s praises. “My experience has been first-class,” said one. “I can’t think of one thing that would make my experience better.” Another said: “Having treatment in the MCU is much more relaxing.”
The unit, which won a major award for excellence in cancer care when the NHS celebrated its 70th birthday in 2018, is a source of pride for the local health service and a draw for nurses that makes recruitment attractive for the chemotherapy specialism, says Cheryl. “Nurses realise our service is a forward-thinking, innovative place to work.”
The range of treatment offered at the unit is expanding. It is hoped that over time it will be able to offer longer opening hours and that it may spend another day in Malton, where demand is particularly robust.
The MCU is a team effort, with the York and Scarborough chemotherapy staff on rotation. “There are two trained nurses and a senior healthcare assistant each day. The drivers are fantastic and really get involved, not just driving the unit but really helping with patient comfort with things like providing teas and coffees! There is a real feelgood factor when we are out there, everyone works together.”
Cheryl said she wanted to thank everyone who made the unit possible. “We are really proud of the unit. It’s all about bringing treatment closer to home for patients and we are all looking forward to the next chapter.”