CHEMOTHERAPY has been made available at a Williton Community Hospital for the first time. 

It follows the successful introduction of the treatment at Bridgwater and Wellington hospitals over the last few years. 

The move is designed to alleviate pressure on other chemotherapy services in the area and help patients avoid travelling far for treatment. 

Emma Wells-Burr, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s manager of the Beacon Day Unit at Musgrove Park Hospital, which also provides chemotherapy services at the three community hospitals, said the development means patients will no longer have to travel to Taunton for the service.  

“Being able to offer this service in West Somerset gives our patients that extra choice to be treated closer to home for their regular treatment,” she said. 

“The only occasion patients generally now have to go to Taunton is for their first two doses of chemotherapy, in case they experience an adverse reaction – which happens on very rare occasions. 

“The side effects of chemotherapy can include nausea and vomiting, so not having that additional journey can really help those patients.” 

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Somerset NHS Foundation Trust began offering chemotherapy treatment at both Bridgwater and Wellington community hospitals in 2021 after the trust needed to stand down the previous mobile chemotherapy bus arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Emma continued: “As the bus used to visit Minehead, we felt that there was a cohort of patients in the West Somerset who were missing out on having chemotherapy closer to home, as they had to travel to be seen in Taunton. 

“We got together with our colleagues at Williton Hospital, who told us that they had unused clinical space that would be perfect for us to offer treatments like chemotherapy.” 

She said a lot of work was put into the setting up of the clinic, which now runs every Wednesday. 

It is in full use, and Emma said an expansion of the service to two days a week is “likely”.  

“We already run the service two days a week at both Wellington and Bridgwater community hospitals, and with demand so high, we’re exploring the possibility of extending it to five days at Bridgwater in the near future,” she added.  

There is growing demand for chemotherapy, and this has forced the unit to carry out a recruitment drive to ensure it has enough nurses and can reduce waiting times.  

“We currently have a two to three week wait, but depending on how urgently the treatment needs to start, we’d be struggling if we didn’t have these extra community hospital treatment options,” Emma said.  

The Somerset chemotherapy service is run by one single team that rotates between Musgrove Park Hospital and the three community hospitals, and Emma said this has proven beneficial for both patients and colleagues alike. 

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“Our colleagues have found that using our community hospitals for chemotherapy treatment has been really positive as there’s a lot of room, meaning it’s in effect our own space for cancer treatment.  

“Patients have told us that they find it much easier too, being treated nearer home with free parking available at two of the sites. 

She said the less busy environment allows more one-to-one care, which is beneficial for patients.