Good news for NNUH oncology patients

Members of staff in the NNUH  Colney Centre are being thanked this week after recent figures showed they have kept services for patients running with minimal interruption during the second wave of the pandemic.

Overall activity within oncology increased by 2.1% from April 2020 – December 2020, when compared with the same period of the previous year.  Additionally overall activity within oncology for the same period was 63.2% higher than the activity targets set by NHSE as a result of Covid-19.

Dr Gaurav Kapur, Service Director for Oncology, said: “This is very reassuring and welcome news both for us and our patients. It shows that we continued to function at the same level as we did in 2019, before the pandemic, in terms of providing non-surgical cancer care to patients in our region.”

Not only has normal service been maintained the department has also rolled out the new mobile cancer care unit during this period, allowing patients to receive chemotherapy closer to their homes and avoiding having to come into the hospital.

Dr Kapur added: “This is down to the dedication of everyone in the department; nurses, radiographers and doctors and admin staff. Everyone has pulled together to ensure services have been able to continue.

“I would like to say a big thank you to all our staff in the trust as this has been a difficult time for everybody, but they have focused on the task in hand. This shows great passion for their patients, their job and their craft. I am sure we can continue our good work in the same manner moving forward.”

Medical Director Professor Erika Denton, said: “This is fantastic for our patients, and a significant achievement for our oncology team. It really shows the dedication they have for our patients in ensuring that the pandemic had minimal impact on the delivery of their care.”