Cardiff cancer hospital plans ‘risky’, say clinicians

Two experienced clinicians have said plans for a new cancer centre in Cardiff are “risky” for patients.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething is to announce this week whether the new £180m Velindre Cancer Centre in Whitchurch will be backed. However, the clinicians are concerned about the possible number of patient transfers from the centre to a larger hospital and the time that would incur.

Velindre NHS Trust has said previously that only 30 patients were transferred each year between its current cancer centre and The University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Around 10 of these patients were designed as red, the most crucial, by the ambulance service.

However, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, clinicians found that in recent years, the transfers were closer to 100.

The two clinicians found that average transfer times for amber calls in 2019 was just under 60 minutes, with another 45 minutes to be transferred to the ward after arrival at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales.

They went on to warn that developments in immunotherapy meant there was a greater risk of patients suffering side effects and claim the new cancer centre should be on the site of a larger hospital such as the University Hospital of Wales.

The trust have said that over the last five years, no serious incidents had been reported to the Welsh government due to preventable deaths on-site relating to a lack of critical care or anaesthetic support onsite, or a delay in transfer to an acute hospital.

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Freephone : 0800 304 7382