At Bristol !

Location
The Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (BMT) is situated on level 7 of the hospital.

Speciality

The unit undertakes a variety of bone marrow and stem cell procedures, receiving patient referrals from the whole of the UK, as well as overseas. Additionally, we are an internationally acclaimed unit and able to accept referrals from around the world.  Our treatment and care offers a very real chance of a cure in situations where the prognosis has traditionally been very bleak.  We are achieving successful outcomes for many of our patients.

We have pioneered the technique of unrelated-donor & haplo type transplants, carrying out in  the region of 70- 80 transplants a year.  Although we are the largest paediatric unit in the country, 40% of our patients are adults.

Layout
The inpatient unit has the capacity for 20 beds in total and is split into two areas. An isolation area consists of 10 beds within individual cubicles containing air filtration systems.  The non- isolation area consists of 6 cubicles and one four bedded area.  There is a sitting room for carers and a play area for the children.  There are 2 dedicated kitchens for the patients and all beds have a separate bed for a carer to stay in overnight.

Staff facilities include a changing area, staff room with cooking facilities and a quiet room for study, meetings and teachings.

Accommodation

All patients are cared for in a cubicle, the majority of which have a private en-suite shower room facility.  The cubicles contain a pull-down bed, available for one parent/carer to stay overnight.  Linen is provided.

 

Visiting

Visiting is restricted to adults and children over the age of 12.  Four named visitors/carers/guardians per patient.  This is to minimise the risk of patients acquiring infections.

If anyone coming to visit has been exposed to anything infectious such as chicken pox or measles, please talk to a member of the team.  Also if anyone has a cough or cold, including brothers and sisters we ask that you keep them away from the ward until they are better.

Visitors are asked to wash their hands using the Alcohol gel solution provided, before entering the Ward.

Staff
The BMT Unit team consists of haematologists, oncologists and highly trained nursing staff, supported by the services of a clinical pharmacist, physiotherapist, psychologist, social worker, dietician, research nurse, clerical staff, play leaders and teachers.  BMT coordinators play a central role in helping families to prepare for this difficult treatment, liaising with donor services and organising the accommodation that all families are offered whilst undergoing treatment.  We also have a member of staff who offers holistic massage to patients and families.

There is no doubt that nursing adults and children through chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation is immensely challenging, necessitating sophisticated and specialised techniques of practical care.  The emotional pressure of working with patients suffering from illnesses as serious as leukaemia can be intense.  But if this is a difficult area of nursing practice, it is also one of the most rewarding.

Team nursing is well established, as is our friendly, family-centred approach to holistic care which is supported through the use of clinical supervision. There is a high commitment to ensuring professional development of nursing skills through a structured induction package, in-service training opportunities as well as post registered training/study opportunities and attendance at conferences.  We welcome the skills of both adult & paediatric trained nurses whether you are newly qualified or highly experienced.

Philosophy of Care
We embrace the directorate’s philosophy of skilled, professional, family centred and holistic care, for all our patients, in a safe, comfortable environment.

Our aim is to individually prepare and support each patient and family through the peri transplant process, using skills of communication, sensitivity, humour and honesty.  Named nurses will have a central role.

Our approach to care aims to be flexible: valuing privacy and confidentiality, respecting patient’s wishes and empowering them to make choices wherever possible.

Commitment to staff is essential to achieving these aims, with emphasis on support, development and training.

Nursing Team
Three G grade Sisters are responsible for the running of the transplant unit on a day to day basis.  A senior nurse, responsible for Haematology/Oncology/Bmt nursing within the children’s directorate, supports the Sisters and oversees some of the broader management issues.

We offer flexible shift patterns including part-time, 12 hour ,7.5 hour shifts or a combination.  There are 2 teams in the in-patient unit comprising of 4 Senior Staff Nurses at ‘F’grade who lead the teams and a combination of ‘E’ and ‘D’ grades.

The unit supports pre and post-registration student placements from a variety of pre and post registration courses including paediatric oncology, adult oncology, BMT & haematology, paediatric intensive care and palliative care. We also offer placements to staff from other regions within the UK.

The unit has a highly specialised team of health service assistants (HSA’s) who cater for our patients dietary needs, enabling patients to have food freshly prepared at any time of day or night.  The HSA’s also ensure that a high standard of cleanliness is maintained within the unit.

Other specialist nurses offer valuable roles to our service including research nurses, educational facilitators, late effects nurse and CLIC nurses to ensure that all our patients and families receive a high quality effective service from diagnosis and throughout their treatment.

Contact Numbers  

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