Cancer and blood disease triage service expanded

An emergency service helping patients with cancer and blood disease in East Yorkshire will be expanded to the south of the Humber, officials have confirmed.

The NHS Humber Health Partnership said it will expand the triage service at the Queen's Centre Acute Assessment Unit (QCAAU) at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

The 24-hour service will be staffed from this month to help patients with acute problems avoid unnecessary hospital admissions or visits to emergency departments in Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Hull.

Sister Kirsty McDonagh, who manages the unit, said it would help patients to avoid hospital stays and "get the right care in the right place at the right time".

She said: "We triage patients undergoing oncology and haematology treatment to determine whether they need to come to us, need direct admissions into wards or other services, if they require pharmacy or if they need to contact their GP for ongoing issues.

"This expansion means we can create a single point of access triage for patients from both Hull University Teaching Hospitals and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals."

Amy Richards, 39, has used QCAAU for the past three years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago. Mrs Richards, who is now cancer free, said the service had improved her access to treatments.

She said: "Instead of going to a GP who doesn't know my history and might feel they have to start from the basics to get to an appropriate outcome, the staff in the unit know me.

"They know my history and are the experts in cancer treatment and care and I have always been treated quickly in relation to issues linked to my treatment."

Patients who are eligible to access the triage service will be given contact details once they begin treatment, officials said.

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