Will the Minister provide information on the delays to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at Velindre?
Velindre University NHS Trust (VUNHST) has experienced increased pressure on services in recent months for both Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and Radiotherapy as they continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic and as new treatments for cancer continue to be made available, offering new treatment options for patients with cancer, with Radiotherapy referrals increasing by 8% during the first quarter of this year.
VUNHST has an active programme of service expansion underway that will continue through the autumn and includes the recruitment of additional staff across a wide range of staff groups, many with highly specialist skills which are in short supply, so training of new staff is also a priority. Longer working days and additional weekend working for VUNHST staff are planned or have already been introduced, and they are carefully balancing this with the wellbeing of staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
Some patients may experience a slightly longer wait for their treatment to start, and all patients are being prioritised based on their individual clinical need. During this time, VUNHST are continuing to keep patients informed through clinical teams during their appointments or through the other ways patients keep in touch with the Velindre team.
VUNHST has regular Integrated Quality, Performance and Delivery meetings with Welsh Government officials to discuss its performance and any key matters arising.
There are a number of ways patients can contact Velindre, including via their designated Key Worker, Cancer Navigator, Consultant’s Secretary or, if they are receiving treatment, via the Treatment Helpline. To further support patients seeking information on their treatment appointments, a further telephone number and email address has been made available as a temporary arrangement and is being provided via a patient leaflet to those who may need to wait a short while longer than planned. The details of this additional number and email were made available more widely in error in a news item posted to the VUNHST website. . Once this website error was realised, the item was removed on 3 August. The number and email still remain available for those who require it and is being shared directly with patients. VUNHST will continue to take queries via the range of other routes provided to patients and their carers and can signpost people via the main telephone number. The Trust has apologised for this error.