Sandwell chemotherapy unit could be scrapped
A chemotherapy unit could be axed with services brought to a single site in Sandwell as hospital bosses admit they will ‘struggle’ to run two units next year.
It means Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust could lose one of its units from either Sandwell General Hospital or City Hospital.
Bosses say they will launch a public consultation, with the possibility of a single unit for blood cancer treatment being based at Sandwell.
Toby Lewis, Chief Executive said: “From March next year we will struggle to keep two chemotherapy units.
Consultation
“A consultation will be in place on how we will migrate to a single site. My expectation is that the service may be based out of Sandwell due to looking at the geography of our patients.
“We will do everything we can for the safe transfer of patients.
“There is not a single safety concern about our existing service this is about sustainability based on medical staff.”
It comes as it was revealed in recent weeks that those having cancer outpatient care would be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QE) in Birmingham for treatment while others will go to New Cross in Wolverhampton in cases where it is more convenient.
In a statement issued by the Trust, it continued: “We would expect a consultation to take place by the end of January with a view to service change by April.
“It will be important to understand how to make a rationalising service work well for local residents.
“We have an absolute commitment to provide chemotherapy from the Sandwell site in the future and that has not changed.”
A statement from NHS Improvement added: “Some changes are to be made to oncology outpatient and chemotherapy services at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (SWBH). These changes are currently being worked through, and will be communicated fully to individual patients.
“Consultant oncology time for the solid tumour service offered by SWBH is currently provided by doctors from University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB). Due to the unsustainability of staffing at the Sandwell and City sites, patients will shortly be referred to the region’s cancer centre at UHB for their outpatient appointments and chemotherapy, or to the Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT) if that is more convenient for them.
“All three trusts have agreed to work together with NHS Improvement, NHS England and other key partners to develop an interim solution which serves the best interests of patients. At the same time, a cancer review will take place to look at the long term options for oncology services across West Birmingham and the Black Country. Patients and the public will be fully engaged in the development of any long-term plans for the service.”
