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| Churchill Hospital chemotherapy treatment 'unsustainable' | Churchill Hospital chemotherapy treatment 'unsustainable' |
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| Cancer care at an NHS specialist hospital is becoming "unsustainable" because of staff shortages, its boss has warned. | Cancer care at an NHS specialist hospital is becoming "unsustainable" because of staff shortages, its boss has warned. |
| A memo to Oxford's Churchill Hospital staff, which was leaked to The Times, said chemotherapy cycles could be cut. | A memo to Oxford's Churchill Hospital staff, which was leaked to The Times, said chemotherapy cycles could be cut. |
| The memo from head of chemotherapy Dr Andrew Weaver says patients face delays as nurse numbers were about 40% down. | The memo from head of chemotherapy Dr Andrew Weaver says patients face delays as nurse numbers were about 40% down. |
| A hospital trust spokesman stressed no decisions had yet been made that may affect treatment. | A hospital trust spokesman stressed no decisions had yet been made that may affect treatment. |
| Dr Weaver wrote the hospital did not have enough nurses trained to deal with medication at the hospital's day treatment unit. | Dr Weaver wrote the hospital did not have enough nurses trained to deal with medication at the hospital's day treatment unit. |
| "As a consequence we are having to delay chemotherapy patients' starting times," he wrote. | |
| The memo also suggested cutting back on treatment to alleviate symptoms from six cycles to four. | The memo also suggested cutting back on treatment to alleviate symptoms from six cycles to four. |
| "I know that many of us will find it difficult to accept these changes but the bottom line is that the current situation with limited numbers of staff is unsustainable," he adds. | "I know that many of us will find it difficult to accept these changes but the bottom line is that the current situation with limited numbers of staff is unsustainable," he adds. |
| But, an Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said it had met the national cancer waiting time standard of starting chemotherapy within 31 days of a clinical decision having been made, despite increases in cancer patients. | But, an Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said it had met the national cancer waiting time standard of starting chemotherapy within 31 days of a clinical decision having been made, despite increases in cancer patients. |
| He added: "We have not made any decisions to delay the start of chemotherapy treatment or to reduce the number of cycles of chemotherapy treatment which patients with cancer receive. | He added: "We have not made any decisions to delay the start of chemotherapy treatment or to reduce the number of cycles of chemotherapy treatment which patients with cancer receive. |
| "The internal email from Dr Andrew Weaver sets out some of the challenges facing our chemotherapy service, with his ideas for how to tackle these issues, and invites constructive comments and alternative proposals from other cancer doctors and clinical staff. | "The internal email from Dr Andrew Weaver sets out some of the challenges facing our chemotherapy service, with his ideas for how to tackle these issues, and invites constructive comments and alternative proposals from other cancer doctors and clinical staff. |
| "However, it does not represent a change to our formal policy for chemotherapy treatment. | "However, it does not represent a change to our formal policy for chemotherapy treatment. |
| "We would like to reassure our patients that no changes to chemotherapy treatment have been made or will be made before thorough consideration has been given to all possible options." | "We would like to reassure our patients that no changes to chemotherapy treatment have been made or will be made before thorough consideration has been given to all possible options." |