Welcome to Haematology and BMTU - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

General information

Our ward consists of 20 individual side rooms. Each room has the following:

En-suite shower facilities
Telephone
TV with Freeview
Wi-Fi – ”the cloud”
Mini-fridge
Exercise bike
Tea, coffee and ‘hug on a tray’ refreshments

Car Parking

Long stay car permits are available for your next of kin.

Visiting

Please ask for visiting arrangements on admission.

Children under the age of 12 are not permitted on the ward due to the infection risk to immune-compromised patients.

Smoking/vaping

Smoking and vaping is not permitted anywhere on the ward or in the hospital grounds.

We discourage patients going outside to smoke. Nursing staff will be more than happy to offer smoking cessation advice and support to guide you into stopping smoking.

Flowers, plants and fans

Fresh flowers and plants are not allowed on the ward as they are a source of bacteria/fungi.

Fans are an infection control risk and therefore not permitted. You can however bring in artificial flowers, photographs, keepsakes, comfort items and your own bedding from home to make your room a little more familiar.

Medications

It is important to bring your current medications in their original containers, into hospital with you, so the doctors and pharmacists can review these.

Your drugs will be stored in our medication lockers and administered to you whilst on the ward. If you prefer to self administer your own medications this is not a problem. Our nursing staff will go over these with you on each drug round to ensure they match with your prescription, as this may change during your stay.

Neutropenia

You may become neutropenic during your stay. This is when your white blood cells, specifically neutrophils, are reduced in your bone marrow. These cells help to fight infection.
Neutropenia is a common side effect from your anti-cancer drugs. When this occurs, you are more at risk of acquiring an infection. Should this happen, you are likely to need antibiotics to help treat the infection. This is also known as ‘neutropenic sepsis’.

Line care

Your Hickman line or Peripheral Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) line will be accessed daily at approximately 6am. We will take bloods and give any intravenous medication through your line.

You may find you are connected to multiple infusion pumps, also known as a drip. These supply you with medication and fluids through the day/night.

To reduce line infections and to limit exposure to the line, we aim to maintain a closed sterile system. This reduces the risk of infection by minimal handling. We change the administration sets every three days. Every week the nurses will change your line dressing aseptically as per Trust guidelines.

Fluid balance

Maintaining a good fluid balance is important to avoid complications such as dehydration and over-hydration. Our aim is to ensure your safety by completing accurate fluid balance charts. This includes measuring the amount of fluids you have drunk and measuring the amount of urine you have passed. We will give you a sterile jug and help you if you have any problems.

This helps the medical team decide if you need any additional intravenous fluids.

Observations

Our staff will do regular observations daily including:

Temperature
Heart rate
Respiratory rate
Oxygen level
Blood pressure
Pain score

These are basic vital signs that are important in monitoring your condition.

Observations are done early in the morning, at lunch time and in the evening. They may be done more frequently if you become unwell, e.g. with an infection. This is to ensure correct medication or treatment is provided at the right time.

You will also be asked to have your weight taken daily.

Nutrition and pressure risk

If your appetite is reduced, which can be a common side effect from your chemotherapy, the nurses will refer you to the Dietitian who can provide a range of high calorie food or drink supplements.

You may sometimes need nutritional support in different ways. This can include:

Nasogastric feeding (NG) – feeds are passed through a tube inserted via your nose into your stomach.
Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) – specially designed food that goes through your Hickman/ PICC line and feeds straight into the vein.

Poor nutrition can lead to weight loss and, coupled with reduced mobility, may cause you to be at risk of pressure area damage. We will ask your permission to check common pressure areas (bottom of the spine, heels, elbows, bony prominences) daily to monitor them.

Support

Due to the length of time you may spend in hospital, it can be emotionally and psychologically difficult for you. We have an expert and compassionate team of nurses, health care assistants, domestic staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists and doctors on the ward.

We also have a dedicated in-patient BMT and CAR-T psychologist called Richard Hobbs who is here to support you during your stay.

If you have any questions or concerns, we are always available to answer them and ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible.

Other support services available within the Trust

Robert Ogden Centre
Macmillan Information Lounge
Chaplaincy
Macmillan Care Coordinator

Maggie’s Centre

We also have a great resource for patients called Maggie’s Centre which can provide further support for patients and families who are going through cancer and beyond. If you would like to know more about this, please ask your nurse.