CANCER CARE
Patrick Greally of Elekta explains how The Christie at the Royal Oldham Hospital has increased cancer therapy access and convenience for patients north of its bustling Manchester hub.
B
efore Manchester’s The Christie NHS Foundation Trust opened its satel-
lite radiotherapy clinic in Oldham in 2010, patients in north Manchester and further north faced a daily driving odyssey, requir- ing them to negotiate the typically traffic- jammed M60 motorway ringing the city and make their way further in to Withing- ton in Manchester’s south suburbs. For pa- tients in the north Manchester region and surrounding areas, the roundtrip journey could easily take three hours for distances ranging only a few kilometers. By establish- ing a satellite centre in Oldham, however,
The Christie has dramatically improved ac- cess to radiation therapy services and com- mute times for patients in the expansive region of Greater Manchester, encompass- ing north Manchester, Oldham, Bury, Mid- dleton, Rochdale and Tameside.
The Christie at Oldham has used advanced techniques, such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), to treat more than 1,600 patients since March 16, 2010, averaging 37 patients per day on each of its two Elekta Synergy treatment sys- tems. Elekta’s Mosaiq Oncology Informa- tion System connects the Oldham centre with The Christie in Manchester, enabling bi-directional transmission of patient re- cords and treatment plans.
Julie Davies, lead radiographer at The Christie at Oldham, said: “We probably are the first centre in the United Kingdom to be a ‘true’ satellite, in that we are networked completely with, and depend on, the main site in Manchester, with information pass- ing to and from the two centres.
“Patients come here for a planning scan, and the patient goes home. We then in- stantly send their electronic patient record and planning scan down the network to the Manchester site where the main planning hub is. Manchester develops the plan and sends it back, then the patient returns and we perform the treatment.”
Because of Mosaiq, The Christie at Oldham has been an entirely paperless environment since the first day; one of only a few centres in the country that can make that claim, according to Davies. In addition, with the
30 | national health executive Jan/Feb 12
electronic linkage between the main and satellite clinics, The Christie at Oldham has avoided considerable treatment delays.
“If the 1,600 patients we’ve treated were waiting for paper documents and plans to arrive in transit, that’s a delay of one to two days,” she says. “That’s as many as 3,200 days of time already saved just looking at that one aspect.”
The Christie at Oldham and The Christie in Manchester ensure maximum uptime by employing two high-speed T1 communica- tion lines in parallel, travelling in different directions around Manchester. These lines are supported by two network providers to ensure constant and secure coverage, she adds.
“It is imperative that we provide a system that is totally reliable and maintains our service at all times, she says. “If one line goes down, the other can fill in. That makes it very unlikely we would ever completely lose connectivity with Manchester.”
While advanced technology has made ac- cess to world class healthcare possible at an outpost of a much larger main centre, it is the personnel at The Christie at Oldham
that help the clinic provide its services pro- fessionally and efficiently, Davies stresses.
“The staff here are absolutely brilliant,” she says. “They have embraced the paperless environment and the challenges of satellite working. Because we’re a satellite we don’t have abundant facilities and support that you would find at a big host site in a large hospital.
“Therefore, the staff have taken on addi- tional training to meet our needs, such as radiographers becoming proficient in the use of cannulas and in phlebotomy.
“In addition, experienced radiographers also are trained to dispense certain drugs. We can save one week every month in wait- ing times by dispensing drugs at the linac.
“Truly, the dedication and hard work of a great many people, both here and at the main centre, have made The Christie at Oldham a huge success.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Patrick Greally T: +44 7887528372 E:
Patrick.Greally@
elekta.com W:
www.elekta.com
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