Campaigning to ease travel burden of cancer patients

Health commissioners are considering bringing chemotherapy-related services to Newark Hospital.

If implemented it could ease the burden of cancer sufferers who have to travel hundreds of miles for courses of chemo therapy.

Mr Trevor Frecknall, who has terminal cancer, will meet representatives of Newark and Sherwood Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) this week to discuss his chemotherapy treatment, and will use the opportunity to explain why he thinks he could be treated closer to home.

The 72-year-old recently told the Advertiser how he had to drive a total of 190 miles every two weeks for chemotherapy appointments that might extend his life, because they were not available at Newark.

Mr Frecknall, of North Muskham, goes to King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield and City Hospital, Nottingham, for his chemotherapy, which he believes could be done, at least in part, in Newark.

The CCG has promised an investigation into his case and will try to determine why he saw 20 clinicians before finally having the tests that diagnosed his cancer.

The meeting follows a personal letter Mr Frecknall handed to the CCG’s chief officer, Dr Amanda Sullivan, detailing his concerns and his dying wish that healthcare in the district was improved for others.

He said Dr Sullivan told him chemotherapy services could be introduced at Newark Hospital. She wrote to him to say the CCG would work with Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Newark and King’s Mill hospitals, and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, which runs the chemotherapy service at King’s Mill, to see what was possible.

It could include simple procedures such as flushing out peripherally inserted central catheters, which are used to administer chemotherapy to patients.

'It's ludicrous'

Mr Frecknall said: “I welcome the fact Dr Sullivan has responded to my plea and I look forward to talking to her colleagues in the hope we can improve the situation for people living in an around Newark.

“I would urge them to bring at least the peripheral services to Newark because it’s ludicrous that people like me have to travel all the way to Sutton-in-Ashfield or Nottingham for a five-minute job.

“Something as simple as that could surely be done at Newark.

“I’m mindful that it would take a mighty financial input and staff input for a proper chemotherapy service to be introduced at Newark, but I can’t think why Newark people should not campaign for that.

“It would mean nothing for me because I will be gone long before any services are introduced at Newark, but I will go happier knowing I have fought to make Newark a better place again.”

Mr Frecknall said he hoped the CCG would learn from his case.

He said: “If it leads to King’s Mill using its technology for more cases such as mine, I shall be really chuffed with that legacy, and lives could be saved.”

A spokesman for the CCG said: “We are investigating Mr Frecknall’s concerns through our patient experience team. We are also working with the trust to determine whether line flushes and chemotherapy can be conducted at Newark.

“This was something we discussed when we were developing the hospital vision and strategy.

“We are also picking up his patient story for discussion at a governing body meeting.”