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Two thirds of chemotherapy units are working at full capacity or beyond, according to a small survey of specialist cancer nurses. The survey was completed by 83 members of the UK Oncology
Nursing Society. It found 40% of nurses considered their chemotherapy unit to be “full to capacity” while 27% said theirs was “over capacity”. A further 28% considered their unit was “busy
but manageable” and just 6% thought current levels of capacity were “comfortable”. The survey also found that 25% thought capacity issues were having a “significant negative impact” on
patient care, while 46% reported “some negative impact”. In addition, 87% said capacity issues were having either “some negative impact” or a “significant negative impact” on their job
satisfaction. The survey was carried out by Kate Denby, a haematology nurse specialist at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. The results were presented on a poster at the
society’s annual conference in Harrogate on 18 October. On average, respondents estimated that 39% of nursing time was spent administering oncology medicines – including preparation,
administration and aftercare. The survey was partly funded by the pharmaceutical company Roche.