"Heamatology / BMTU - LRI"

I have been seen by the Haematology Team at the LRI for three years and thought it time for me to give something back, some constructive, yet mainly positive feedback.

I have visited the Haematology Outpatient and Day Ward many, many, times during that time and continue to do so.

I have also undergone a SCT within the BMTU during this time and could not fault the service and care provided by that team from start to finish and would recommend anyone who has the misfortune of having to have a Transplant to be seen by this team.

My experience of the personnel, from receptionists to nursing staff and consultants, within the Haematology Team has always been a positive one, I cannot fault the care, attention, expertise and treatment I have received from them to date.

The stand out thing for me is one of continuity and flexibility of care, that I feel like a person, an individual, a patient who matters, and not just a number.

It is important both physically and mentally, for anyone going through a long term illness and making regular visits to hospital for treatment, consultations, tests, updates etc. to receive that level of care, to feel valued and above all feel that your care is important to those providing it, as that enables trust between both, patient and the medical team.

There are a few things I would like to see improved and therefore have the following constructive feedback as opposed to a whinge for the sake of moaning.

Reduce wait times (both outpatient and day case) - To put this into perspective, I completely accept that some patients take longer than others and it is important to continue to provide the level of service as described above that patients be given the time needed as opposed to being given a set ten minutes and coming out not feeling like they have the information they wanted, they have felt listened to etc..

I also accept that there is an increase in numbers of patients.

As such, whilst I accept Patients should expect to wait, I would like to see wait times reduced - the last thing someone with a long term illness wants is to spend large amounts of their time waiting within a hospital, they want to get on with life as normal as possible.

Where a patient does have to wait, I would like to see that they are always able to wait in comfort by ensuring simple things such as sufficient number of chairs are available etc.

Perhaps a way to reduce waiting would be to ensure equity across services provided across the Country.

In some Trusts in the Country, it is possible for some, more abled patients, to self administer their own treatment at home rather than to visit hospital.

This would certainly enable those patients more normality in life but also by taking those out of the waiting room, it would free up capacity and in turn reduce wait times.