Background to this inspection
Updated
2 February 2016
The Chemotherapy Service at Wexham Park Hospital is provided as a part of the Thames Valley Cancer Strategic Clinical Network. They work in collaboration with consultants based in other trusts to provide services appropriate to the needs of the local population; the main Cancer Centres are at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Mount Vernon Hospital, part of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Following the creation of the new Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, there have been a number of transitional plans across the trust. The trust ceased to provide its own Oncology Consultants, this provision is now through partnership with the two local Cancer Centres.
The trust is working towards moving to a single Cancer Centre, which will be the lead partner for the delivery of Oncology Services for Wexham Park Hospital.
Chemotherapy Services are currently provided both at the Eden Day Unit on the Wexham Park Hospital site and through the Ashford Suite on the King Edward VII Hospital site.
Medical care (including older people’s care)
Insufficient evidence to rate
Updated
2 February 2016
There were robust systems to monitor safety throughout the service. Staff understood risks, had a clear picture of safety across service and were focused on improvement. Staff took an active role in delivering and promoting safety, learning and improvement. When things went wrong they were open and transparent with those affected.
However:
There was scope to improve the environment in the unit.
The storage of chemotherapy medicines at King Edward VII day unit needed reviewing as temperatures of the storage facility were not being monitored and were not secure.
We found some paper health records to be large in size and documentation was hard to locate in these records easily.
The electronic prescribing system used for patients requiring chemotherapy could not be accessed by staff working in the emergency department at Wexham Park hospital. Although staff had put in measures to mitigate this risk the trust may wish to reassess the risks associated with these measures.