Stafford hospital haematology services inadequate, say bosses

People from Stafford's County Hospital will have to go to Royal Stoke University Hospital or Wolverhampton's New Cross from next month amid fears over clinical safety.

It has been approved by health chiefs on a temporary basis while a consultation takes place over the long-term plan for the haematology service.

There are around 80 inpatients who have accessed services over the last year. Outpatient and day case services will continue to be available at County.

Inpatient haematology is a small, specialist service available for patients requiring intensive inpatient care. It provides treatment, usually by aggressive chemotherapy, to those with blood disorders and cancers such as myeloma, lymphoma and leukaemia.

At Royal Stoke University Hospital patients will receive their care within a modern, purpose built clinical centre which is being further improved with the introduction of five additional beds in August.

Health chiefs have raised concerns over specialist staff and support services at County Hospital for such seriously ill people.

Professor Gavin Russell, associate medical director for University Hospitals of North Midlands, said: "Following the retirement of one of our haematology consultants and another leaving the Trust in the coming weeks we have had to carefully consider how we will ensure our patients continue to receive good medical care 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the short term.

"We will need to recruit new consultants and, unfortunately, our Trust, along with others right across the country, experiences difficulties in recruiting staff to this type of service due to preferences of doctors and nurses to work in a large specialist centres.

"We would therefore need to look at recruiting temporary doctors but this can lead to problems with the quality of the service provided. It can also be difficult to recruit specialist haematology nurses.

"We have also considered the absence of support services available at County Hospital. Services such as interventional radiology, high level critical care and renal replacement have transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital and New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton over recent months. It is important that haematology patients have direct access to these types of services.

"Furthermore, the inpatient haematology facility at County Hospital is inadequate for these very ill patients. This particular area is outdated, in need of modernisation and within a general medical ward which, clinically, is not the best environment for them.

Andy Donald, chief officer for Stafford and Surrounds Clinical Commissioning Group, added: "We support the temporary move of this service and believe it is in the best interest of patients.

"However, I would like to assure people that no decision on the proposed long term site for this service will be made until we have undertaken the public consultation.