CSP representatives have visited the new Velindre Cancer Centre site in Cardiff, Wales, as part of ongoing work to champion appropriate inpatient rehabilitation provision for patients.
CSP representatives visited the site of the new Velindre Cancer on 15 September continuing the CSP’s work to ensure rehabilitation is given the space and priority it needs within the new state-of-the-art facility.
Senior negotiating officer Chris Musgrave and public affairs and policy manager Calum Higgins toured the new hospital site, gaining a greater understanding of the facilities being developed and the opportunities the new centre will offer patients across Wales.
The visit also provided an important opportunity to continue raising the CSP’s concerns about the need for appropriate dedicated inpatient rehab space within the new hospital.
Championing rehabilitation from day one
The new Velindre Cancer Centre represents a significant investment in specialist cancer care in Wales. The CSP believes a new, state-of-the-art cancer hospital should lead the way in high-quality rehabilitation provision and ensure patients have access to rehabilitation from the earliest stages of their care.
CSP members working at Velindre have raised concerns that dedicated inpatient rehabilitation space, which had formed part of plans for the new hospital since 2016, is no longer included as originally envisaged.
While outpatient rehabilitation facilities are being provided, these cannot simply replace appropriate inpatient rehabilitation space. Patients receiving inpatient cancer care may need rehabilitation from day one to maintain mobility and independence, prevent deconditioning and support their recovery and timely discharge.
Appropriate space also enables physiotherapists and the wider multidisciplinary team to provide rehabilitation using the specialist equipment and therapeutic environment that cannot always be replicated safely or effectively at the bedside.
Working with members to influence change
The site visit is the latest part of sustained work by the CSP’s localism team for Wales to support members and raise their concerns with Velindre leadership.
The CSP has been working closely with physiotherapy and therapy leads to understand the plans, gather evidence about the potential impact on patients and identify possible solutions. The localism team is meeting with therapy leads every two weeks to review progress, coordinate activity and agree next steps.
The CSP, together with RCOT, has also written formally to Velindre outlining concerns about the loss of inpatient rehabilitation space and its potential impact on patient care.
Rather than simply opposing alternative uses of the space, members have been keen to find a constructive solution. This has included exploring whether areas could have shared or hybrid uses, with timetabled access allowing rehabilitation to take place around meetings and other activities.
Today’s visit provided another opportunity to progress those discussions, better understand the new hospital environment and continue making the case for rehabilitation to be appropriately accommodated within it.
The CSP welcomes the commitment from senior local managers to work in partnership on identifying alternative space within the design to accommodate the quality rehabilitation patients need and deserve. We look forward to continuing that conversation in upcoming weeks.
Making sure rehab is part of the new hospital's ambition
The CSP welcomes the investment being made in the new Velindre Cancer Centre and recognises the quality and ambition evident in the new facility.
However, rehabilitation is an essential part of high-quality cancer care, not an optional addition. The CSP will continue to make the case that appropriate inpatient rehabilitation provision should form part of that ambition.
As a new specialist cancer hospital, the centre has an opportunity to demonstrate best practice in patient-centred cancer care. The CSP wants to work constructively with Velindre to find a solution that ensures the new facilities support patients throughout their treatment and recovery, and that rehabilitation provision does not fall behind what patients would expect from comparable specialist cancer centres elsewhere in the UK.
The CSP's team in Wales will continue to work alongside members and engage with Velindre as plans progress.
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