Bringing cancer care closer to patients throughout Lincolnshire
In early 2023, Hope for Tomorrow was proud to deliver an upgraded mobile cancer care unit to better serve patients across Lincolnshire in partnership with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ULHT). The new state-of-the-art unit, which retains her name “Elaine,” replaces the previous vehicle that has administered over 18,000 treatments since May 2014. Throughout this time, the unit has provided an average of 13% of the trust’s oncology day unit treatments on board – helping to create greater capacity within the hospitals and alleviate pressure on staff within them.
This upgraded unit allows patients and staff to continue with vital treatments and supportive care, in a clean, comfortable, more modern environment. During the partnership, the trust has increased the treatment days for the mobile unit, meaning that it is serving the community across five days a week, rather than four, increasing access to vital cancer care for residents of Lincolnshire.
The reason our unit is so great is that it allows us to support people locally. This means that patients do not have to travel as far for their vital treatment, with some even choosing to walk to the unit.
This is a real benefit as it decreases their travel time whilst potentially suffering pain and nausea from their treatment.
The schedule currently includes visits to Skegness and District Hospital on a Monday and Firday, Johnson Hospital, Spalding on a Tuesday and County Hospital, Louth on a Wednesday and Thursday.
The expanded service was a welcomed addition, with the previous unit experiencing a 71% increase in treatments delivered between April 2019 and March 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. During which, despite the challenging times, Hope for Tomorrow and ULHT worked together to ensure continuity of this essential service when patients were most vulnerable.
Two dedicated nursing teams based at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston support the operation of the mobile unit. They travel independently with medications and supplies using nurse support vehicles also provided by Hope for Tomorrow.
Chantelle Dawson (below, second from left) lead cancer nurse at Lincoln County Hospital, witnesses first-hand the difference Elaine makes to the patients and the community it serves. She says,
Data from the Hope for Tomorrow patient surveys revealed that patients completing their treatment on board Elaine save, on average, 435 miles of travel, around £138 in petrol and parking costs and have a time saving of around 53 hours across the length of their treatment. This is time that they can spend doing something other than travelling between, waiting for, or attending appointments.
This upgraded unit allows patients and staff to continue with vital treatments and supportive care, in a clean, comfortable, more modern environment and represents a significant milestone in the longstanding partnership between the charity and ULHT. As always, the success of this vital initiative is made possible by the generosity of supporters.
Bringing cancer care closer to patients throughout Lincolnshire
In early 2023, Hope for Tomorrow was proud to deliver an upgraded mobile cancer care unit to better serve patients across Lincolnshire in partnership with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ULHT). The new state-of-the-art unit, which retains her name “Elaine,” replaces the previous vehicle that has administered over 18,000 treatments since May 2014. Throughout this time, the unit has provided an average of 13% of the trust’s oncology day unit treatments on board – helping to create greater capacity within the hospitals and alleviate pressure on staff within them.
This upgraded unit allows patients and staff to continue with vital treatments and supportive care, in a clean, comfortable, more modern environment. During the partnership, the trust has increased the treatment days for the mobile unit, meaning that it is serving the community across five days a week, rather than four, increasing access to vital cancer care for residents of Lincolnshire.The schedule currently includes visits to Skegness and District Hospital on a Monday and Firday, Johnson Hospital, Spalding on a Tuesday and County Hospital, Louth on a Wednesday and Thursday.
The expanded service was a welcomed addition, with the previous unit experiencing a 71% increase in treatments delivered between April 2019 and March 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. During which, despite the challenging times, Hope for Tomorrow and ULHT worked together to ensure continuity of this essential service when patients were most vulnerable.
Two dedicated nursing teams based at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston support the operation of the mobile unit. They travel independently with medications and supplies using nurse support vehicles also provided by Hope for Tomorrow.
Chantelle Dawson (below, second from left) lead cancer nurse at Lincoln County Hospital, witnesses first-hand the difference Elaine makes to the patients and the community it serves. She says,
The reason our unit is so great is that it allows us to support people locally. This means that patients do not have to travel as far for their vital treatment, with some even choosing to walk to the unit.
This is a real benefit as it decreases their travel time whilst potentially suffering pain and nausea from their treatment.
Data from the Hope for Tomorrow patient surveys revealed that patients completing their treatment on board Elaine save, on average, 435 miles of travel, around £138 in petrol and parking costs and have a time saving of around 53 hours across the length of their treatment. This is time that they can spend doing something other than travelling between, waiting for, or attending appointments.
This upgraded unit allows patients and staff to continue with vital treatments and supportive care, in a clean, comfortable, more modern environment and represents a significant milestone in the longstanding partnership between the charity and ULHT. As always, the success of this vital initiative is made possible by the generosity of supporters.
