Bringing cancer care closer to home is now a reality for cancer patients who receive treatment from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), thanks to our most recent partnership. NNUH took delivery of brand-new Mobile Cancer Care Unit, ‘Amara’ in January of 2021, and she’s already out on the road fulfilling the Hope for Tomorrow mission.
Initially serving communities in Fakenham, the Trust plan to expand the reach of the Unit into Dereham, Attleborough, and Beccles over the coming months. 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 more than a 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 patient confidence and improving the experience”.
‘Amara’ boasts a day unit with space for four recliner chairs, infusion pumps, a kitchen area and patient toilet and will be joined on the road by Nurse Support Vehicle, ‘Marjorie’. The costs to build the Mobile Cancer Care Unit were generously donated to Hope for Tomorrow by The Mark Benevolent Fund. While staffing costs will be met by the Trust, all ongoing running and maintenance costs are funded by Hope for Tomorrow, who rely solely on donations to keep their fleet of MCCUs on the road.
Tina Seymour, Chief Executive of Hope for Tomorrow, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with NNUH, furthering the reach of our Mobile Cancer Care Units into another group of communities. We send our very best wishes to all of the patients who will receive cancer treatment on board. We look forward to their feedback as their cancer treatment becomes more convenient, giving them valuable time to spend doing something other than travelling to hospital appointments.”
Welcome aboard Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we’re delighted that you, and Amara, are part of the Hope for Tomorrow family.
