A new Oncology Day Services Unit was officially opened today at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.

The €1.3 million purpose built Unit was officially opened by the Mayor of Drogheda, Frank Maher.  This new Unit was developed in response to the increased number of patients provided with oncology services by the hospital.

In 2008, 1883 patients were seen at the Consultant led clinics. The number of patients seen at the nurse led clinics was 3349 which was a 61% increase from the previous year.

The number of Oncology Day cases for the last twelve months also rose, with 2157 patients being seen.  In 2008 the medical oncology service received 300 new referrals. These included the following cancers: Breast, Bowel, Lung, GI, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Ovarian, Hodgkins Disease and other.

The Oncology Team is a primarily nurse led service and is led by a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Oncology Registrar. The team also liaises with Medical, Surgical, Haematology, Regional Palliative Care and Breast Care Services locally and Radiotherapy Services nationally.

New referrals averaging 6 per week are triaged by the local nursing team, with all urgent referrals seen within one week. Treatment will commence usually within six weeks of surgery. Governance within the service is by multidisciplinary team meetings which take place bi-weekly.

Supports for the patient and their families are available through the skill and expertise of the staff who also provide ongoing patient education. Nursing advice and support is also available by phone and as a drop in service if required. One to one counselling can be arranged and there is liaison with the Gary Kelly Centre on an ongoing basis.

Des O Flynn, Hospital Group Manager said “This is a great development for patients accessing oncology services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and also for the dedicated staff delivering those services. The oncology service provided at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is a dedicated service for the North East region. The catchment area covers Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan and North County Dublin. From small beginnings in 1990, the service has grown to be one of the biggest at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.”

Dr Liam Grogan, Consultant Medical Oncologist said “It is planned to develop the Medical Oncology Team in line with the National Cancer Control Programme Strategy. In July 2008 a fulltime Registrar in Medical Oncology was appointed and advertisements have been placed for a full-time Consultant Medical Oncologist, these developments, as well as the future development of nursing roles within the Unit encompassing Advanced Nurse Practitioners, and Clinical Nurse Specialists demonstrates the commitment to the further enhancement of the Oncology Service in the North East.”

Construction of the new two storey building commenced in October 2007 and was completed on time and within budget in May 2008. It has been built in accordance with all the latest building and healthcare guidelines and provides 400m2 of dedicated accommodation for oncology patients.