Clinical Trials
At Bournemouth we are involved in running a large number of clinical trials for haematology patients. This is beneficial not only for patients by offering cutting edge therapies, but also for the hospital and primary care trust by saving significant funds (cost of the drugs is covered by the trials).
Clinical trials are medical research trials involving patients. They are carried out to try and find new and better treatments. Carrying out clinical trials is the only way to find out if a new approach to cancer care is better than the standard treatments currently used.
Clinical trials may also be carried out to:
- See if new combinations of drugs are more effective or give fewer side effects
- Find out how cancer treatments work
- See which treatments have less impact on patients' everyday activities
Our research nurses will meet with the patients to discuss the different treatment options that have been initially mentioned by the consultants. This gives the opportunity to ask further questions about the treatments and different drugs they are likely to receive. Louise & Nicola will then make the appropriate appointments specified by the trial protocol and communicate this to ensure the patients have a clear understanding of what will be required. They will continue to coordinate study activities whilst the patient is on the trial, and are a point of contact both for the patient and the family.
Our Data Manager helps coordinate and collate anonymised patient data from medical assesments for various clinical trials, according to their protocol and submits these to the relevant trial groups for review.
Our project co–ordinator is responsible for the trial set up, submission of new trials and amendments to the Research & Development department to ensure the appropriate regulatory documents are submitted for review by departments and approvals are in place prior to the opening and continuation of the trials.
The trials offered within the Haematology department are run by both academic institutions and by commercial companies.
Bournemouth Leukaemia Fund
Bournemouth Leukaemia Fund was set up in 1984 by the late Professor Terry Hamblin and Professor David Oscier to support the Royal Bournemouth Hospital's Molecular Haematology research laboratory's work into the causes and management of leukaemia and other blood cancers.
Professor Oscier has handed over the mantle to doctors Renata Walewska and Helen McCarthy to lead the laboratory's dedicated doctors and scientists who have gained world-wide recognition within medical circles, as well as benefiting local patients having treatment for blood disorders. Money raised by the charity is used to fund scientific staff, equipment, reagents and the costs of publishing scientific papers.
For more information and for recent news and upcoming events please visit http://bournemouthleukaemiafund.org.uk/
Friends of Bournemouth Leukaemia Fund
The Friends of BLF is a group of volunteers and supporters of the BLF. They organise fundraising events and promote the charity in the local community and beyond.
If you would like to get involved, organise a fundraising event with their help or would like any information about their work, please contact:
Estelle 07772 860268; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Fiona 07428 032182; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Donate
To donate please go to www.justgiving.com/thebournemouthleukaemiafund, speak to your haematology clinician or write to:
Molecular Pathology Lab, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Castle Lane East, Bournemouth, BH7 7DW
Cheques should be made payable to Bournemouth Leukaemia Fund.
Registered Charity No. 290340
General Clinics
Our outpatient clinics are held in main outpatients in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. We accept referrals from GPs and hospital doctors. You may be seen by any one the five consultants or a doctor in training (under supervision).
However, if we think that you have or may have a disease that one of us has a particular expertise in, we will arrange for you to see that doctor either on the first visit or for your follow-up.
We are happy to accept patients for a second opinion, but we need a letter from your GP or hospital consultant.
Please also see a list of some specific services we offer below.
Phlebotomy Services
At the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals more than 300 patients have blood taken each day. Recent improvement using a queue management system at Bournemouth has seen waiting times reduce by half and will soon be employed at Christchurch.
You do not need an appointment for phlebotomy in Bournemouth. There is a 'fast track' service if you have a hospital appointment on the same day for chemotherapy.
For more information please follow this link.
Anticoagulant Services
The service manages 3500 patients on warfarin. We offer five clinics a week Monday- Friday where we counsel, initiate and manage new patients on warfarin.
There are four Anticoagulant Practitioners who have all undergone higher specialist training in Anticoagulant Management.
Each day approximately 250 patients have their warfarin managed by our post and dose service and the service makes and receives over a thousand calls a month. This highly efficient anticoagulant service bench marks nationally and in the last survey was 7th in the country.
To view important information for patients taking warfarin please follow this link.
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention
At least 25,000 patients die each year in England due to hospital acquired thrombosis. Reducing avoidable dealths, disabilities and chronic disease is a clinical priority for the NHS.
Our Trust has its own comprehensive guidelines for preventing thrombosis in hospital which requires all patients being admitted to the Trust to be assessed for VTE.
The Trust has a Thrombosis Team which meets monthly and a Trust Committee made up of Consultants and Leads from all specialties. VTE prevention is taught on our Trust staff mandatory training.
We have patient information leaflets and a video displayed in our public areas on VTE prevention.
Nationally all Trusts are required to achieve 90% of all patients being assessed; Bournemouth has consistently achieved this for over a year which has made us one of the top performing Trusts in the country.
Haemophilia Services
More than 200 patients with bleeding disorders are registered with our unit. Adult patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders are seen in a designated clinic for bleeding disorders every Monday morning.
A Consultant Haematologist from a designated Comprehensive Care Centre (CCC) runs the clinic for bleeding disorders. Patients who require urgent care are managed on the haematology day ward during working hours and on ward 11 outside normal working hours.
The unit operates an open access policy for patients with bleeding disorders. It is envisaged that a comprehensive haemophilia service will be established in Bournemouth by early next year, to reflect the high number of registered patients.
Coming in for Treatment
Ward 11 is a 19 bedded Inpatient Ward - including two specialised bone marrow transplant suites, five isolation rooms (with air filtration system), five single rooms and two bays. The ward sister is Sarah Goulbourne.
Day care
Day care patients are seen on Ward 10. Day care is provided for outpatient chemotherapy (we offer a 6 day service including Saturday) and blood product transfusions. Medical review is offered to patients who have recently been discharged from the inpatient ward or who need to be seen urgently. There is also a “walk in” facililty for haematology patients with urgent medical problems.
We have recently performed a survey of our chemotherapy service, the vast majority of patients (156 surveyed) rated our outpatient chemotherapy as excellent, for detailed results please follow the link below.
Autologous Transplantation
We perform autologous transplantations on patients with myeloma and lymphoma. In addition to local patients, we accept referrals from other hospitals including Jersey and Dorchester.
Dr Chacko together with specialist nurse Lisa Hammond run dedicated transplant clinics, including shared clinics for those patients undergoing allogeneic transplantation in Southampton and other centres.
There is close collaboration with the Southampton Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Lisa accompanies patients to Southampton who are being prepared for allogeneic transplantation.
Palliative Care
At the Royal Bournemouth Hospital the hospital palliative care team consists of specialist nurses and doctors.
They see patients who are already known to the community specialist palliative care team or who are referred by their Consultant during their admission.
They work closely with medical and nursing teams to advise on the provision of good symptom control, psychological, social and spiritual support and maybe involved with giving guidance about complicated discharge planning and ongoing support.
Homecare
We have two senior nursing sisters who review and take blood samples from those patients who are not able to come to hospital for their clinic appointments.
They help review patients in their home, take blood tests, give chemotherapy and platelet transfusions. They will travel within a 12 miles radius from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital as far east as Barton-on-sea and Bashley, north to Poulner and west to Broadstone and Parkstone.
Laboratory
A crucial part of haematology is the laboratory. The Haematology lab is CPA and MHRA accredited and provides a 24 hour, seven days a week service covering Haematology, Coagulation and Transfusion.
The laboratories analyse over 1,000 blood counts and 400 clotting samples every working day. The coagulation lab also has the expertise to diagnose inherited bleeding disorders and causes of thrombosis.
The department also provides Immunology, Cytogenetics (specialised for lymphoproliferative disorders), Molecular Biology and immunophenotyping services.
Our scientists are encouraged to attend meetings, courses and regular professional training.
The Transfusion laboratory
The Transfusion laboratory works tirelessly 24/7 to ensure that patients receive the correct blood products matched uniquely for them quickly and safely. The laboratory processes 30,000 laboratory tests a year, and issues approximately 10,000 Red cell units, 1500 Platelet units, and 1000 specialist Plasma products per year to support patients undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and other medical treatments. The department also runs a regionally unique “Bone Banking” service where suitable patients may donate at the same time as receiving their new joints. The Stem cell / bone marrow harvests you may donate are also carefully dispatched and received by our department. We will endeavour to provide alternatives to allogeneic transfusion medicine, supporting autologous re-infusion of own blood post some forms of Orthopaedic surgery, donation, washing and re-infusion of your own blood during major vascular surgery, and IV Iron infusions on a day case basis as alternative to donated red cells.
The Transfusion laboratory also works closely with the clinical teams and holds a Transfusion Committee Meeting every 12 weeks. This provides an opportunity for Surgeons, Obstetricians, Physicians, Nurses, Anaesthetists and Laboratory representatives to review current national best practice and where necessary improve local processes. This team has direct access to the Trust Clinical Governance team, and has the ability to raise concerns and seek finance for any quality improvements required, ensuring our patients receive the best possible, state of the art Transfusion Medicine.
Transfusion is one of the most highly regulated laboratory specialism’s, answering for example to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority, the NHS Litigation Authority, the Human Tissue Authority and the CPA, therefore an effective approach to quality and excellence is adopted both within the laboratory and in the wider hospital sites. When you attend our hospitals for a transfusion you will receive the safest service possible in one of the few Trusts with full “vein to vein” electronic tracking of both your blood sample and blood products reserved uniquely for you, using the “Haemonetics Safe Tx” system. We recognise that you are our most precious patient we strive to give you the benefit of our £1.5 million blood / product budget to support you in your personal fight for recovery.
Our Transfusion Specialist Nurse forms a link between clinical areas and the laboratory, ensuring our patients receive a safe, appropriate and seamless Transfusion Service and is available to support patients / answer their Transfusion concerns.
Bournemouth Haematology
Our team is multidisciplinary. It consists of:
- Consultants
- Junior doctors in training
- Specialist nurses
- Haematology trained nurses
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing and general nanagers
- Pharmacists
- Microbiologists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
We all work together to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of patients refered to us, making it a 'seamless' service.
We appreciate that for the patient, coming to hospital can often be a difficult and stressful time, but we pride ourselves on communication, which helps reduce the anxiety. The consultants and specialist nurses are readily available both for consultations and by telephone.
