Location of cancer services in South East Wales

Please answer six questions to assist us in protecting safety and quality care for cancer patients.

Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff provides specialist cancer care for the whole of South East Wales. It is outdated and needs to be replaced.

Because the Cancer Centre is a stand alone facility(i.e. it is not located on the same site as a large, acute hospital), many treatments cannot be safely provided there. Even now, approximately two people per week require unplanned emergency transfers to an acute site when they become too unwell to be cared for in Velindre. Examples of such patients may be those experiencing anaphylaxis, other adverse effects of treatment, sepsis, breathing difficulties, cardiac arrest etc. Despite this, the replacement Cancer Centre is planned to be another stand-alone facility. New Cancer Centres elsewhere in the UK including the the rest of Wales are being built on acute hospital sites to provide safe care. This is not the approach being taken for the New Velindre Cancer Centre.

We would like to hear your views about the plans to build a stand-alone New Velindre Cancer Centre without other essential services on the same site.

Should you wish to include any contact details, please insert these in a text box attached to a question with the response 'other'. Your responses and any information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this short survey and for supporting safe, quality patient care.

Question Title

* 1. In what capacity are you completing this survey?

Member of public

Patient

Relative

Doctor

Nurse

Other health professional

NHS management employee

Local government employee

Prefer not to say

Other (please use text box to include comments you may have)

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* 2. Are you aware that the proposed new hospital will not be able to provide lots of the newer types of cancer treatment due to lack of appropriate care facilities? Please select one answer.

I am aware of this and this does not worry me

I was not aware of this but it does not worry me

I am aware of this and think that it is unacceptable

I was not aware of this but I think it is unacceptable

Other (please use text box to include any comments you may have)

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* 3. Patients who become sick when at Velindre will only be provided with basic resuscitation and medical care due to a lack of appropriate facilities and specialist staff. They will be required to undergo transfer to another hospital. The speed with this will take place of this will depend on ambulance availability at the time. Patient safety cannot be guaranteed. Please select one answer.

I am aware of this and it does not worry me

I was unaware of this and it does not worry me

I am aware of this and I think it is unacceptable

I was unaware of this and I think it is unacceptable

Other (please use text box to add any comments you may have)

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* 4. Velindre NHS trust states that it has conducted an external clinical review into the proposed location and model of care of the New Velindre Cancer Centre. This is incorrect. No independent clinical review has been conducted. This is at odds with what is perceived to be best practice within healthcare. Please choose the response to this that best reflects your views.

I am aware of this and I don’t think it’s important

I was unaware of this and I don’t think it’s important

I am aware of this and I find it concerning

I was unaware of this and I find it concerning

Other (please use text box to add any comments you may have)

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* 5. Select the statement that best reflects your views.

I think that the health service should spend time, effort and money securing a cancer hospital co-located on an acute site where all necessary services exist so that patients receive the best multidisciplinary care, the highest level of safety and greatest opportunity to participate in clinical trials all at the same location (e.g. oncology, chemotherapy, specialist surgery, high dependency, imaging etc.).

I think that the health service should spend time, effort and money rebuilding a stand-alone cancer centre that will function like a day hospital. I accept that patients who deteriorate there will be at risk and that patients with certain complications and those requiring some more toxic treatments will have their care across multiple sites.

Other (please use text box to add any comments you may have)

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* 6. Do you have any other views that you wish to include? Please note that abusive responses will be ignored. All politely written views are welcome. Many thanks for completing this survey.