The Royal Marsden Hospital (Sutton)

I loved my care in the oak ward, I’ve been there for 5 years but now they moved me to medical day unit and they are good but sometimes the nurses are a bit tough when they talk ; the nurse last time was telling me that we suffer when we don’t find the veins and made me feel I’m a nuisance ; they booked me in for picc insertion but I canceled it later because when I was at the oak ward they never complained even when they couldn’t find the veins I felt I was forced to be booked in that appointment because the nurse was agitated she couldn’t find the vein In oak ward they kept doing it but never complained

I have just attended the MDU for forth round of chemo. On my arrival I have my observations done quickly. Then is then 10-15 mts wait before my premeds are given. Then another wait while my chemo is prepared [normally 30 mts] I am then "hooked up to the machine" and I begin to receive the chemo. This takes approximately an hour when I need little attention. When I have received the chemo. my machine bleeps to signal that I need to be changed to a "flush" before being disconnected and my 5FU pump installed [this normally takes 10 to 15 mts] I can then leave. I realise that timings are approximate and may vary from patient to patient but I would like to think that with a little forethought that the Hard working Nurses could be scheduled to deal with their "ending patient" and not dealing with a "new patient" leaving me [and other "ending patients" waiting! I would like to emphasis that I receive excellent treatment from all the hard working staff on MDU but would like to see changes so that patients are not "kept waiting" prolonging their treatment stay. Similarly when I return on a Sunday on Kenneway ward to have my pump disconnected from my port, a 10 mts. procedure that not all Nurses can perform. Knowing that my chemo Nurse has contacted the Ward to let them know when I am will be coming on three occasions we have had to wait [the longest being 90 mts]. to have this procedure to be carried out. Is this down to "staff shortages" or "miss communication" or "???"

I was not happy about the length of time kept waiting, almost the last to be seen every week.

I did not feel I was given a choice in where the drip was placed. I was also not offered like the other patients any water or tea. I was in my own and felt very isolated and lonely and scared.