Bowel Cancer West teams up to refurbish Colorectal Outpatient room
Nurses from the Stoma Care Department have been joined by charity staff to mark the opening of a newly refurbished patient room at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
Bowel Cancer West (BCW) and ConvaTec, a medical products and technologies company, have helped fund the make-over which now sees the room kitted out with two new sofas, a TV for training purposes, storage cupboards for patient information and kitchen facilities to offer patients and their families tea or coffee.
The room primarily serves as a comfortable non-clinical space for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, as well as their families, to discuss worries and concerns with the nurse specialist team.
Maria Lawson, Lead Bowel Cancer Nurse Specialist for the Trust, said: “With space at a premium, the room is invaluable to us. We now have a lovely non-clinical room away from the pressure of a busy department where patients can meet with us to discuss any worries or concerns that they have throughout their disease pathway.
“Before the refurbishment, we had no furniture until we sourced two old sofas from the Emergency Department. They weren’t that suitable, but we had to adapt to try and make it a more amenable room for our patients.
“We can now sit in here to also perform holistic needs assessments, so we are not just addressing the issues that cancer can cause but any additional needs the patient might require. Patients often turn up on an ad-hoc basis very worried or with concerns; so it’s somewhere to talk to them over a cup of tea.”
But the improvements to the room have also enabled other activities to take place. It has been used for case conferences with patients and health care professionals, and for patients to meet or have a discussion with their consultants.
“Patients can also meet with consultants to talk about any concerns or if they would like to see them outside of the clinic. This development has undoubtedly enhanced the patient experience so much more,” added Maria.
As a local charity, BCW are trying to increase survival rates of bowel cancer by raising awareness, funding the training of medical staff as well as research. For further details and advice on symptoms, please visit www.bowelcancerwest.com
