CANCER patients have benefited from a new initiative at Jersey General Hospital providing direct access to medication.
Implemented in time to coincide with World Cancer Day today, the scheme means Islanders undergoing cancer treatment can obtain their anti-sickness drugs directly from the oncology department.
Patients had previously been required to wait for medication to be prescribed by the Hospital pharmacy, a situation consultant oncologist Dr Elizabet Gomes Dos Santos admitted had not been ideal.
She said: “The pharmacy has been under pressure, and even urgent cases would involve an hour’s wait.
“We are looking to improve the patient experience and have looked at ideas from elsewhere as to how we could do this.”
Unit manager Rachel Conway added: “One of the biggest complaints we had from patients was about the additional time they had to spend here waiting for medication.
“People are already spending quite a lot of time here, and once their treatment is finished they want to be able to get away and get on with their lives as much as possible.”
The scheme has also freed up space in the department due to the lack of waiting, and benefited those patients who are immunosuppressed and worried about using general waiting areas adjacent to the pharmacy.
The scheme includes new measures to ensure the importation and distribution of drugs is carried out in line with regulations governing this area.
Islander Sue Letherbarrow, who has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer for the past two years, said the scheme had made a significant positive difference.
“The pharmacy always seems very busy and if you can take a bit of the pressure away from there, it’s invaluable,” she said.
“Sometimes the wait could be several hours, which wasn’t great if you weren’t feeling well.”
Mrs Letherbarrow paid tribute to a “fantastic service” from the staff in the oncology department.
“It’s not the most pleasant experience to be having cancer treatment, but the logistics here work really well and they make you very welcome and comfortable,” she said.
As part of World Cancer Day, an open event will take place at Jersey Library today, starting at 10am and including a Q&A session with Dr Gomes Dos Santos and other experts from 2pm-3pm.
