Catherine Syvret, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in April and will soon be travelling to Southampton for treatment, said that having radiotherapy available locally would be a major benefit to those in her position.
The Health Department announced in 2019 that it was seeking to provide such treatment sessions in the Island as part of the proposed Jersey Care Model.
Mrs Syvret, a freelance photographer, is set to receive five days of radiotherapy in Southampton at the end of July. She said she was very grateful for the quality of healthcare that she had received in Jersey during the past two months, and the support provided by organisations such as Macmillan Jersey and ABC Breast Cancer Support, but could also see major advantages for those in her position being able to have treatment locally.
‘My husband is able to travel across with me and for us it’s more of an inconvenience than anything,’ she said. ‘But some courses of treatment can last three weeks, and there are potential major difficulties for people who are elderly or disabled, or may have had chemotherapy and be feeling the effects, and those who have children or other relatives who they care for – how do they cope?’
As well as the potential savings achieved by having a local facility – in terms of the cost of arranging travel to Southampton, accommodation while away and the disruption to work and domestic routines – Mrs Syvret said she felt patients could respond well to the less stressful option of staying in Jersey for their sessions.
At next week’s States sitting, Deputy Montfort Tadier will ask Health Minister Richard Renouf whether providing radiotherapy locally remains the government’s preferred option, and what progress has been made.
‘This is close to a lot of hearts and most of us know someone who has needed treatment for cancer,’ the Reform Party politician said. ‘We’ve got a year left in this political term and a minister who said he was supportive of this, so I would like to see some commitment to it.’
Deputy Tadier also said it would be a shame to delay the introduction of radiotherapy until the Island’s new hospital opened, and that he hoped new equipment could be installed at an initial location and then moved to become part of the new facility.
Responding to a previous question from Deputy Tadier in May last year, the Health Minister acknowledged the stress caused to patients and their families.
The minister also said: ‘I personally would very much like this [Island-based service] to happen.’ He added at the time that the potential radiotherapy facility was part of a wider cancer strategy that had been delayed as a result of Covid-19.
