SOUTHEND Hospital have been praised for their innovation which has allowed terminally ill patients to spend more precious time at home. 
Their Intra Pleural Catheter insertion service allows patients suffering with lung cancer to have long term drains fitted, meaning they can stay at home in their own surroundings rather than going to hospital. 
The Cardiac and Medical Day Stay team at Southend University Hospital have been shortlisted for a Health Service Journal award for this work, under the category for Acute Sector Innovation thanks to the service. 
The service has been running for the last year and Ward Manager, Emma Matthews, explained the benefits for patients. 
She said: “If you have a terminal diagnosis you want to be at home eating your own food, using your own toilet and be more comfortable in your own own furniture.
“Patients are more relaxed at home, its far less stressful than multiple visits to hospital, they can have visitors whenever they want and it just gives them both a better quality of care and life. 
“Previously patients would need to keep coming into hospital for very painful chest drains, which are very uncomfortable. Instead it is now done with under a vacuum in the home, by either a community nurse or partner of the patient.”

The procedure takes around 30 minutes under local anaesthetic and a hospital stay of just two to three hours.
The innovation to bring the service to Southend is thanks to Dr Masood Ali, Consultant Respiratory Physician who has already trained one consultant to perform it in Southend, with another part way through their training.
Dr Ali, said: “In one year the service saw 140 patient attendances, the estimate for the period between April 2016 and March 2017 is that there will be an increase to 550 attendances. 
“There is a large migrant of people from the East End, predominantly post war babies that were working in the docks or factories who have been exposed to asbestos. 
“Asbestos exposure can cause a form of cancer called mesothelioma. Our one-stop clinic has greatly improved the management pathway for our patients who present with a pleural effusion. 
"Its development is a great example of a patient-centred multidisciplinary team working and an effective interaction between primary and secondary care services.”
Of the award nomination Neil Rothnie, Medical Director at Southend Hospital, said: “The whole team can be very proud of all they have achieved and the recognition that comes with this nomination quite rightly sees them applauded at national level.”
The team will find out if they win the award at the Awards, in partnership with de Poel health and care, on Wednesday November 23.