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.
