How to access Mobile Chemotherapy
Mobile Chemotherapy Units (MCU)
Most people receiving chemotherapy report their lives revolve around treatment and they struggle to maintain any semblance of normality during this stressful time.They experience uncertainty, transitoriness and loss of control,Chemotherapy delivery closer to home assists people with cancer to regain some control and normalcy during their treatment period,Participants who had their treatment on the MCU were able to compare their experiences with those of Outpatients’ Clinic*,They reported key differences such as the MCU being very much closer to their home so that they were able to drive themselves without anxiety about being ill on the way home,This freed up time spent by partners/spouses driving and accompanying the person to have treatment in Cheltenham. Benefits were described in terms of a significant decrease in time and distance,There was never any difficulty parking in community hospitals,The MCU was perceived to be a much less stressful, sociable option to the clinic,Most importantly participants’ quality of life was improved because they did not have to wait hours for their treatment,Participants said that they were more likely to ask questions of the nurses on the MCU because they had more one to one time with nurses,They ‘enjoyed’ time spent with other people receiving chemotherapy and talking to the driver,They did not have reservations about the service being nurse-led or about dignity/privacy, cleanliness or safety issues’*
- shorter travel times
- reduced fuel emissions and costs
- significantly reduced waiting times
- an easier journey to treatment, as they will not be entering large towns or cities
- a more positive relaxed atmosphere in which to receive treatment.
The Current Project
Currently Hope for Tomorrow have 9 MCU’s in operation,Each Unit has 4 or 5 chairs, depending on the Trusts’ needs and travels out daily to rural locations, treating on average 12 – 15 patients a day.The Unit usually parks up at sites that include Community Hospitals, Sports Centre’s, Community Centres and GP Surgeries
They operate in the following areas:
- Gloucestershire, operated by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Unit has been operational since 2007 and has given over 3,000 treatments and last year saved patients over 80,000 miles of travel
- Somerset, operated by NHS Somerset. The Unit has been operational since 2010
- Wiltshire and Dorset, operated by Salisbury District Hospital and Great Western Hospital. The Unit was launched in May 2012.
- North & Mid-Hampshire, operated by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Unit started operation in August 2012
- Cornwall, East Kent, Lincolnshire , Hampshire
Reducing Carbon Emissions
A high percentage of the NHS’s Carbon Footprint relates to patient travel and since its launch, the Gloucestershire Unit has saved patients a staggering 133,000 miles, thereby not only helping the patients and their families, but also contributing to the reduction of carbon emission
Patient Feedback
“I have just come home (all of 1 mile instead of the usual 26 miles) following my chemotherapy treatment on the Somerset Mobile Chemotherapy Unit. I was the first patient on the bus and the whole experience was absolutely wonderful. I felt totally cradled in care – the wonderful staff were just so kind and I feel so very positive. Yesterday I had a bit of a down day and today because of the unit – I feel I can fly again!
I am so excited and feel so honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to be treated on the unit and I am aware of just how much money has been raised by so many people for Hope for Tomorrow.”
Hope for Tomorrow
Hope for Tomorrow was founded by Christine Mills in 2003 after she lost her husband David to cancer. One of the many stresses the couple endured was travelling from their home to the nearest Oncology Centre – a journey of nearly 60 miles.
Christine wanted the charity to focus in a practical way, to alleviate the additional anxieties of travelling. She met Dr Sean Elyan, Consultant Oncologist and Medical Director of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and discovered that he had a vision to bring chemotherapy closer to the patient.
This inspired her to make the dream into a reality and in 2007 the charity raised funds to build and launch the world’s first Mobile Chemotherapy Unit (MCU). In a unique partnership the charity owns and maintains the vehicles and they are operated by the local NHS Foundation Trust or major Oncology Centre
