Colchester Hospital chemotherapy treatment goes ahead after flood

Colchester Hospital, in Turner Road, fell victim to a disruptive leak on Sunday after the city was hit with heavy rainfall and unpleasant weather days after Storm Ciarán.

As a result, a department at the health facility suffered from flooding which halted the production of chemotherapy drugs, putting vital treatments at risk of being cancelled.

After being made aware of the dilemma facing the hospital, experienced pharmacists Lois Farrance, Chloe Grant, and Susan Teh rushed to the rescue.

Hero - senior specialist oncology haematology pharmacist Susan Teh (Image: Colchester Hospital)
Giving up their Sunday off, they travelled to Ipswich Hospital where they produced the much-needed medications before delivering them to Colchester Hospital.

Their actions meant that the hospital’s cancer patients were able to receive chemotherapy treatments which would otherwise have been delayed or pulled all together.

The wider Oncology and Aseptics teams also worked hard to organise treatments and rearrange patient appointments delayed by the impact of the weather.

Dr Debo Ademokun is a clinical director for cancer and diagnostic at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust which runs Colchester Hospital.

He said: “Members of the Oncology Pharmacy team showed great dedication to our patients during the bad weather.

“Their collective actions enabled chemotherapy to be prepared and treatment go ahead which would otherwise have been delayed or cancelled.

“The care they have shown to some of our most vulnerable patients is heart-warming and we would like to say thank you to everyone involved.”

Selfless - specialist pharmacy technician's Lois Farrance and Chloe Grant (Image: Colchester Hospital)

The latest heroics from staff at Colchester Hospital come after cancer unit patient Carol Tuscher praised the “amazing” nurses at the facility.

Carol suffers from both lupus and haemochromatosis has to visit the Collingwood Centre every two weeks to have a pint of blood taken in less than a minute.

Speaking previously she said: “The nurses are amazing, so courteous, non-stop, going all the time. They just need credit where credit’s due. They are wonderful human beings.”

According to the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), the unit impacted by Sunday’s flooding is back up and running.