The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is bring cancer care closer to home with a new mobile treatment unit.
The pioneering new Mobile Cancer Care Unit (MCCU) hit the road in January, thanks to an innovative new partnership between the Trust and cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow.
The project began in Fakenham and will bring cancer treatments closer to people's homes to improve patient experience. The mobile unit is owned and maintained by Hope for Tomorrow and will be provided along with a Nurses' Support Vehicle. The NNUH staffing costs will be covered by the Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity for the first three years. This has supported funding two registered nurses, a driver, pharmacy support, and a booking team. The vehicle houses a mobile chemotherapy day unit, with space for four recliner chairs, infusion pumps, a kitchen area, and a patient toilet.
Joanna Richardson, Lead Cancer Nurse at NNUH, said:
We are delighted to be launching this service with Hope for Tomorrow to bring chemotherapy and drug infusion treatments closer to home. Many patients travel a more than 50 mile round trip to receive their treatment at NNUH, with many others travelling from outside Norfolk. This initiative allows them to travel to a convenient location nearby and be treated by the same team of nurses from the NNUH, giving patients confidence and improving experience.
Precautions are being taken during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure social distancing is maintained, with treatments being limited to only two patients at any one time. The initiative is part of the national and local cancer strategies to support patients in the community, closer to home, and build on primary and secondary care links. Nearly £600,000 of funding over the next three years has been made available as the result of a legacy received by the charity.
