Hospital centralises cancer care services

From the archive, first published Friday 13th Apr 2007.

BASILDON Hospital will soon be home to a dedicated cancer ward for the first time.

The hospital has undergone a big reshuffle to create the ward, which will merge all its current cancer-related services into one area.

Previously, when cancer patients visited the hospital, they were directed to a number of different wards for treatment depending on what they required.

Now the services will all be located in the Orsett Ward.

A spokeswoman for Basildon Hospital said the move was about making the best use of facilities.

She said the ward would ensure patients would receive the best care because all the most experienced cancer nurses, dieticians and oncologists would be working on the ward.

She said: "The ward will mean we can concentrate our most experienced cancer nurses in one place.

"Currently patients are being treated in wards all around the trust and it just makes more sense to do it this way."

The hospital has started the big move and is in the transitional stage of making the Orsett Ward totally dedicated to cancer patients.

The spokeswoman said while some patients had to be moved around as a result of the change, they were trying to keep disruptions to a minimum.

The ward is located in Basildon Hospital's Jubilee Wing, and it will also house the hospital's Palliative Care Unit and Haematology Day Unity.

Three wards had to be rejigged to accommodate the change.

The Florence Night-

ingale Ward has moved to where the Lionel Cosin Ward was, the Lionel Cosin Ward has in turn moved to where the Orsett Ward was, and the Orsett Ward has now moved into the Florence Nightingale Ward's previous location.

Kim Perry will take over as the Orsett Ward's new manager and it will be officially opened later this year.