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The Clatterbridge Cancer
Centre NHS Foundation Trust has been rated outstanding by health inspectors
THE Care Quality Commission inspected the Merseyside
specialist cancer centre in June 2016 and found staff were:- "enthusiastic
about the care they provided" with a:- "tangible sense of
willingness to go the extra mile."
The report stated:- "The positivity and compassion shown by staff and
reflected in the feedback from patients was outstanding."
The Trust was rated as outstanding in all areas for its care.
The inspectors also praised the leadership of the Trust, its clear strategy, and
a number of treatment innovations that have been introduced.
They included a rapid chemotherapy chair to speed up waiting times and the
Chemotherapy at Home programme, which sees cancer patients being treated in
their own homes.
The inspectors said of the latter:- "This service embodied the overall
Trust and service vision of providing the best cancer care to their patients."
Also singled out for praise was the prescribing of Adjuvant Zoledronatec - or
bisphosphonates, a bone strengthening drug that has been found to prevent the
spread of some newly diagnosed breast cancers and is the subject of a campaign
by a cancer charity to make it more widely available.
The CQC said this innovation was "market leading" and ensured
"patients with breast cancer were receiving the very latest evidence based
treatment to reduce their risk of death and reoccurrence."
In chemotherapy staff were praised for being passionate and committed.
The report noted:- "A patient receiving treatment on the Delamere Daycase
Unit told us that 'cancer is the loneliest place to be in the world, when you're
standing in a storm alone and wondering what to do and it's dark and then
suddenly you've got all these friendly faces looking at you and offering you a
hand to get through. That's what the staff here do, they pull you through or
even carry you through the storm which is the darkest time of your life and they
lighten it up for you'."
In radiotherapy, the inspectors reported the equipment and techniques
"were some of the most advanced in the country." Here they also found a
robust leadership which contributed to a culture of improvement, and said
patients were "extremely complementary about the service."
They added:- "We spoke with the parents of a child who was having
radiotherapy; they said the treatment and care their child had received was
exemplary especially by the specialist radiographer."
The teenage and young adult unit was singled out for enabling family to stay
overnight with patients, and holding monthly peer group meetings, like pizza
evenings or afternoon tea.
There also a special mention for Callie, the Wirral centre's pet therapy dog who
visits the wards.
At their radiotherapy treatment centre in Aintree, the inspectors highlighted a
group of volunteers who organised events and activities for patients to improve
their well-being.
The inspectors rated end of life care as good, noting the services were led by a
dedicated specialist palliative care consultant and team of specialist nurses
with a clear vision.
The report also noted the fact the Trust has a "wide portfolio of research
and was involved in both treatment and data trials."
Andrew Cannell, Chief Executive of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS
Foundation Trust, said:- "We are delighted with the overall rating of
Outstanding from the Care Quality Commission.
In particular being rated outstanding for caring across all our departments
recognises the high standard of compassionate care our staff strive to provide
for every single patient who comes through the doors of The Clatterbridge Cancer
Centre in Wirral and Aintree, and our satellite clinics.
The recognition of treatment innovations we have introduced is testament to our
commitment to transform cancer care in Cheshire and Merseyside. Our new hospital
due to open in Liverpool City Centre in 2019 will ensure we are able to continue
to be at the forefront of cancer care and deliver 1st class services for our
patients both now and into the future.
I am very proud of the hard work and dedication shown by all our staff and
volunteers. They fully deserve this rating. However we are always looking to
improve in everything we do and we will ensure we learn from all areas of the
inspectors' feedback as we look towards the future and working closely and
positively with the community we serve."
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