WHEN retired primary school cleaner Norah Lonsdale was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer she feared she would have to endure multiple trips to hospital for treatment.

The 65-year-old grandmother had survived breast cancer 13 years earlier but had had to travel to The Christie for chemotherapy every three weeks for six months, followed by two weeks of daily trips for radiotherapy.

But as she undertakes her latest battle with cancer Mrs Lonsdale says she feels more ‘like a person rather than a patient’ thanks to a unique chemotherapy service being offered by nurses at the Royal Bolton Hospital’s clinical haematology department.

Instead of spending much of her time in treatment rooms at the hospital nurses visit her at her Farnworth home to give her chemotherapy injections in her stomach and have even been able to give her platelet transfusions.

The daily visits take just 15 minutes and then Mrs Lonsdale can get on with her day.

“It is great because I don’t feel like a patient all the time,” she said.

“I feel like I’m leading a normal life without being at the hospital all the time. I feel very fortunate that it has been available to me.”

Mrs Lonsdale had started feeling unwell in September last year with tiredness and bruises on her legs.

After a bone marrow biopsy doctors revealed she had myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition which causes a drop in numbers of normal blood cells.

“Once they gave me the news it was a bit of a shock,” said Mrs Lonsdale.

“But you have got to accept whatever life throws at you.”

Her treatment options were discussed with the Royal Bolton Hospital’s consultant haematologist Dr Suzanne Roberts and she opted to have the home treatment which means blocks of seven daily visits from a nurse every 28 days.

“I now feel very, very well,” said Mrs Lonsdale. “I am able to do all the things I normally do.

“The department is fantastic. I can pick a phone up anytime to speak to someone if I have a problem. It runs so smoothly.

“Being at home is much better. I wish they could roll this system out for every other department.”

The pioneering community chemotherapy service was set up by haematology clinical nurse specialist Louise Merrick and the community team 17 years ago and is believed to be unique in the country.

Not all patients are suitable to have treatment at home, but for those who are, the department believes it makes a big difference to their quality of life.

“Other departments either have to admit patients into beds for treatment or patients have to make often daily trips to hospital to receive treatment,” said Mrs Merrick.

“This can be a barrier to patients actually deciding to have treatment for their blood cancers.”

In the financial year 2016-17 560 treatments were delivered by the team in the community and in the last eight months there have been 494 more.

The haematology department also co-ordinate blood transfusions in the community.

“The quality of life impact for a very vulnerable patient group cannot be underestimated,” said Mrs Merrick.

“Imagine having to attend hospital for monthly, often weekly, blood transfusions for months, and in many cases, years.”

In a bid to further help local blood cancer patients the department is also starting a new support group.

Until now patients and their families have had to go to Wigan, but from March 6, in conjunction with the Lymphoma Association, a new group will be held on the first Tuesday of alternate months at the Macmillan Information and Support Centre at the Royal Bolton Hospital from 5.30pm to 7pm.