The Ambulatory Care Team at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals have reached a significant milestone after just one year of their unit being opened, with news that they have treated their tenth stem cell transplant patient.
The unit which was opened in October 2021 enables patients to have a variety of treatments, including high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplants as an outpatient rather than being admitted to the Haematology ward. The unit also allows patients to continue their chemotherapy at home through a transportable CADD pump rather than having to come into hospital and using remote telephone visits when the patients aren’t required to come to the unit.
So far the service has saved a total of 1,300 inpatient days and the success of treating ten stem cell transplant patients has saved 70 bed days. Of the 25 stem cell transplants conducted so far this year at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, ten of these (40 per cent) have been carried out via the Ambulatory Care Unit.
These bed day savings are not only financially effective for the Trust but also prevents historically long waiting admission times and has allowed the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals cohort to open up desirable haematological clinical trials with this improved bed occupancy
Speaking about the success of the unit, Chris Pemberton, Quality Manager for Haematology and Oncology said: “This is a huge achievement by everyone involved and a credit to the Department and Division.
“The average length of stay for a patient undergoing transplants this year has been 21 days. Transplants require the patients to attend the day unit for a variety of tests and procedures, including the harvesting of stem cells to be reinfused at a later date. This reinfusion has historically always been carried out as an inpatient due to the length and severity of recovery, but the Ambulatory Care unit has made this process safer to carry out via outpatient appointments.”