Walsall's oncology team expands as service is extended to seven days a week
Walsall is to get a seven-day-a-week oncolgy service from Monday after bosses announced an increase in days and hours.
Currently the team, which looks at patients who are acutely unwell because of cancer, work only on weekdays, but Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has secured extra funding to operate at weekends. The move will also bring it in line with a national initiative to help patients be seen and receive treatment quicker
To help deal with the increase in hours, the oncology team has expanded from two to four nurses.
They work closely with the oncology consultants, Emergency Department and acute medical teams with an aim of improving care for emergency cancer patients in Walsall Manor Hospital.
It includes patients who have a new diagnosis of cancer, symptoms of an existing cancer or significant side effects from their cancer treatment.
The nursing team is supported by oncologists from University Hospital Birmingham (UHB), who provide a daily ward round from Monday to Friday.
Macmillan Acute Oncology lead nurse Jayne Breen said: “The aim of our service is to improve outcomes for patients by ensuring they have access to a specialist opinion quickly and that the are on the correct pathways.
“This will hopefully reducing the patients’ length of stay in hospital and get those who are admitted, out of hospital quicker by seeing them in clinics across the seven days.
“It is only possible because of the support we receive from the surgical divisional team, oncology, acute medicine and emergency department colleagues.
"It is a really exciting time for service and we can’t wait to get started.”
