I think the units are brilliant. I get to see first hand how stress and worry melts away
It’s not unusual for patients attending the mobile cancer care unit operated by the Norwich University Hospital in Norfolk to show an eagerness for the 10.30am appointments. However, this is not down to any restrictions on parking or limited bus timetables in the area.
Chemo nurse Amy Gonzalez explains how the scramble for that particularly popular slot is all due to the regular Popmaster Quiz that is aimed at bringing a bit of light-heartedness and fun to the patients who are trying to cope with a very difficult situation.
“It was introduced by our driver, Jack Russell, a cornerstone of our team,” she says.
“We only run it if we feel it is appropriate, depending on what is happening on the day, but the patients love it, and it really helps to break the ice.” And she adds: “We are careful to check who will be coming in on the day and what sort of treatments are scheduled.
“But if it is going ahead, it can cause quite a flurry of excitement among the patients. Lots of them ask if they can change their appointments so that they can take part in it,” she says.
Amy adds: “It’s good to be able to brighten up what can often be very dark times for people.
“No-one wants to dwell on what they are going through all the time. A bit of light relief can do wonders for morale.”
After 16 years in nursing including 10 years specialising as a chemo nurse, Amy knows only too well that there is more to caring for cancer patients than administering treatments alone. She works in the hospital as a deputy sister and joins the regular unit one day a week at one of its three locations in Attleborough, Beccles and Dereham. There are currently plans to add a fourth location at Diss to the service and that’s something Amy welcomes.
Norfolk is a huge area and there is absolutely no doubt that the unit plays a major part in easing stress levels for people attending the unit.
“By its very nature it offers a personal, holistic touch. It can make the difference between feeling human and feeling like a patient and when you are on treatment for a long-time that is so important,”
Having always wanted to work in oncology Amy was keen to volunteer for the rota working on the unit, Amara, when it was launched in 2021.
“We try as much as possible to put the same teams together for the same locations as that continuity for patients to be seen regularly by familiar faces undoubtedly helps towards reducing stress,” says Amy.
“When people are not feeling well or they are tired it’s important to make things as easy as possible.
“Whether that is reducing travel time, taking the hassle out of parking or removing the fear of having to deal with strangers at every appointment, it all helps to put patients at ease.
“And that can only be beneficial to their whole experience of enduring cancer treatment and how they respond to it.”
Amy is acutely aware of how vulnerable people feel with a cancer diagnosis and she says there was definitely a little apprehension among some patients when the unit was first introduced.
“It’s totally understandable that people initially feel more secure in a hospital environment when they hear the devastating news that they have cancer.
“It’s only natural to want the best possible treatment and for many that’s what a hospital represents.
Our units tend to be parked up in supermarket car parks mainly because they are generous enough to offer. They also have lots of space and it makes for easy parking for patients.
“But when we first started, we had one person who was very anxious at his first appointment, and he seemed extremely apprehensive of the whole thing.
“It took a while for the penny to drop that he thought he was actually going to receive his treatment inside the supermarket. We quickly assured him that was not the case.”
Although the units are small with only four or five chairs available. the space is kitted out with everything the patients need and would expect inside the hospital. As Amy splits her time between the oncology department at the hospital and the mobile cancer care unit, she can testify to that.
The treatment is exactly the same. The big difference is the smaller, more intimate environment on the unit and the speed at which people can be seen due to our limited seating capacity, and those are all positives.
And she adds: “I think the units are brilliant. I get to see first-hand how stress and worry melts away, especially as time goes on and patients start to feel more at ease as the familiarity sets in.
“For me working in oncology gives me a huge amount of job satisfaction. Just being able to help people through such a difficult time is deeply rewarding.
“But working on the mobile unit gives the staff just that little bit of extra one-to-one with a patient.
“And that can sometimes make all the difference between a good and a bad day.”
I think the units are brilliant. I get to see first hand how stress and worry melts away
It’s not unusual for patients attending the mobile cancer care unit operated by the Norwich University Hospital in Norfolk to show an eagerness for the 10.30am appointments. However, this is not down to any restrictions on parking or limited bus timetables in the area.
Chemo nurse Amy Gonzalez explains how the scramble for that particularly popular slot is all due to the regular Popmaster Quiz that is aimed at bringing a bit of light-heartedness and fun to the patients who are trying to cope with a very difficult situation.
“It was introduced by our driver, Jack Russell, a cornerstone of our team,” she says.
“We only run it if we feel it is appropriate, depending on what is happening on the day, but the patients love it, and it really helps to break the ice.” And she adds: “We are careful to check who will be coming in on the day and what sort of treatments are scheduled.
“But if it is going ahead, it can cause quite a flurry of excitement among the patients. Lots of them ask if they can change their appointments so that they can take part in it,” she says.
Amy adds: “It’s good to be able to brighten up what can often be very dark times for people.
“No-one wants to dwell on what they are going through all the time. A bit of light relief can do wonders for morale.”
After 16 years in nursing including 10 years specialising as a chemo nurse, Amy knows only too well that there is more to caring for cancer patients than administering treatments alone.She works in the hospital as a deputy sister and joins the regular unit one day a week at one of its three locations in Attleborough, Beccles and Dereham. There are currently plans to add a fourth location at Diss to the service and that’s something Amy welcomes.
Norfolk is a huge area and there is absolutely no doubt that the unit plays a major part in easing stress levels for people attending the unit.
“By its very nature it offers a personal, holistic touch. It can make the difference between feeling human and feeling like a patient and when you are on treatment for a long-time that is so important,”
Having always wanted to work in oncology Amy was keen to volunteer for the rota working on the unit, Amara, when it was launched in 2021.
“We try as much as possible to put the same teams together for the same locations as that continuity for patients to be seen regularly by familiar faces undoubtedly helps towards reducing stress,” says Amy.
“When people are not feeling well or they are tired it’s important to make things as easy as possible.
“Whether that is reducing travel time, taking the hassle out of parking or removing the fear of having to deal with strangers at every appointment, it all helps to put patients at ease.
“And that can only be beneficial to their whole experience of enduring cancer treatment and how they respond to it.”
Amy is acutely aware of how vulnerable people feel with a cancer diagnosis and she says there was definitely a little apprehension among some patients when the unit was first introduced.
“It’s totally understandable that people initially feel more secure in a hospital environment when they hear the devastating news that they have cancer.
“It’s only natural to want the best possible treatment and for many that’s what a hospital represents.
Our units tend to be parked up in supermarket car parks mainly because they are generous enough to offer. They also have lots of space and it makes for easy parking for patients.
“But when we first started, we had one person who was very anxious at his first appointment, and he seemed extremely apprehensive of the whole thing.
“It took a while for the penny to drop that he thought he was actually going to receive his treatment inside the supermarket. We quickly assured him that was not the case.”
Although the units are small with only four or five chairs available. the space is kitted out with everything the patients need and would expect inside the hospital. As Amy splits her time between the oncology department at the hospital and the mobile cancer care unit, she can testify to that.
The treatment is exactly the same. The big difference is the smaller, more intimate environment on the unit and the speed at which people can be seen due to our limited seating capacity, and those are all positives.
And she adds: “I think the units are brilliant. I get to see first-hand how stress and worry melts away, especially as time goes on and patients start to feel more at ease as the familiarity sets in.
“For me working in oncology gives me a huge amount of job satisfaction. Just being able to help people through such a difficult time is deeply rewarding.
“But working on the mobile unit gives the staff just that little bit of extra one-to-one with a patient.
“And that can sometimes make all the difference between a good and a bad day.”
