13 Oct Colchester Hospital scoops national cancer award for the second time
Colchester Hospital has scooped a national award for its commitment to patients living with incurable blood cancer for the second time.
The hospital’s haematology team was today presented with the Myeloma UK Clinical Service Excellence Programme (CSEP) Award in recognition of its outstanding care and dedication to patients with myeloma, an incurable blood cancer which claims the lives of 3,000 people in the UK each year.
This is the second time Colchester Hospital has received the award, which is only handed to a select few hospitals every four years.
Staff were praised for their efforts to improve patients’ quality of life and eagerness to adapt and truly listen to their needs.
The accolade, awarded by charity Myeloma UK, recognises hospitals’ commitment to raising the bar for treatment and providing compassionate and personalised care to patients.
Rachel Duncombe-Anderson, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Colchester Hospital, said: “We are delighted and hope it will encourage and reassure our myeloma patients that we endeavour to offer excellent care and treatment. However, we won’t be complacent and will continue to find ways to improve the service and the patient experience.”
Myeloma is especially hard to spot as its symptoms are often vague and dismissed as ageing or other minor conditions.
By the time many patients are diagnosed their cancer has often advanced and they require urgent treatment. This can significantly impact their chances of survival and quality of life.
Monica Morris, Clinical Practice Services Senior Projects Officer at Myeloma UK, said: “To be able to present this award to the team on what is our charity’s 25th anniversary has made this occasion even more special and has allowed us to reflect on and appreciate how much headway has been made in the treatment of myeloma over the past two decades.
“Myeloma is a complex cancer which can be challenging to manage and we were extremely impressed by the team’s willingness and ability to adapt and offer bespoke care.
“The simple fact that patients have described the team as ‘exceptional’ says it all. Staff quite clearly go the extra mile to understand individual patients’ needs and make sure they feel safe and supported, especially when they’re at their most vulnerable. They are friendly, knowledgeable and approach difficult conversations with remarkable sensitivity.
“Over the past few months, the team has tried very hard to speed up testing so patients no longer have to wait anxiously for up to a fortnight for their blood test results and instead get them back almost overnight. The pharmacy team is also very responsive to the needs of myeloma patients and keen to introduce newly-approved treatments.”
Patient Richard Cowell, 77, from Leavenheath, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2016 and has been receiving care at Colchester Hospital ever since.
The father-of-two credits staff for supporting him through a difficult diagnosis and helping him cope with the debilitating side-effects caused by rounds of intensive treatment.
“The clinical nurse specialists are fantastic and we’re lucky to have them,” he said. “The first nurse we had was Julie Buckenham and she was quite extraordinary. The way she treated us, it was almost like I was the only person who had myeloma. I felt so prepared and my anxiety was dispelled pretty quickly.
“I don’t worry about anything and I think that’s probably down to the way that Julie introduced things to me,” added Richard, who was initially diagnosed with MGUS, a benign condition which had just a one per cent chance of developing into a cancer like myeloma.
Sadly, just four years after his initial MGUS diagnosis, the condition progressed to myeloma. Richard was 72 years old.
“It was a shock but because I knew about the MGUS I was more prepared about it,” he said. “I was lucky – a lot of people don’t know they have myeloma for a long time. I had that early warning with the MGUS.”
He started treatment in November 2016 and was immediately hit by a raft of severe side-effects. The drug thalidomide, in particular, caused damage to his hearing and heart, and Richard had to get a pacemaker.
He also suffered nerve damage following a stem cell transplant in 2017 and still experiences numbness in his lips to this day.
“Compared to most people I was a bit unlucky; it took me a year and a half to get most of the sensation back. But I’ve also been lucky in one very broad way – I’ve had no bone pain whatsoever,” added the grandfather-of-four.
Doctors also found scarring on his chest but it’s still unclear whether this was caused by the intensity of his treatment.
Unfortunately, Richard’s cancer has now returned for a second time and he will soon start his third round of treatment. He is now waiting to find out about possible treatment options.
As myeloma severely weakens his immune system, Richard is at much higher risk of catching COVID-19. This means he has not seen two of his grandchildren, both of whom live in Scotland, in person for two years.
“Until COVID came along I was outdoors a lot and it all stopped very quickly. Doing anything has been really hard. I’m just waiting to find out what will happen next and about treatment. I’m comfortable with the way I’ve been looked after and my wife Vivian has been absolutely fantastic. I can’t say enough about how she’s supported me.”
