The Freeman Hospital Transplant Association
The Freeman Hospital Transplant Association website can be found here
THE REGIONAL CYSTIC FIBROSIS UNIT
THE WARD
The Regional Cystic Fibrosis Unit in Leeds provides expert care for adults with Cystic Fibrosis from the ages of 16 upwards. The Unit was opened by David Jason in September 1993 and now looks after over 300 patients. It looks after patients from a wide area including Yorkshire, Humberside and the East and West of England. I have been going to the unit and having treatment since the age of 16. The unit is a very special place where you know the staff and they know you. Where you can be confident that the regimes put in place will ensure your long term health and that there is always someone at the end of the phone with some practical advice when you have a concern.
LIFE ON THE WARD
To prevent cross infection each patient has their own room and is not allowed to mix with any other patient on the ward. This can be quite lonely and isolating. To try to alleviate the misery of segregation the Consultants on the ward have put a computer into each room so that patients can make contact with the outside world and also have the ability to chat to each other. The treatment regime is generally a course of intravenous antibiotics given twice or three times a day and also intensive physiotherapy. Patients can be in hospital from 1 day to months depending on their health and requirements. In some circumstances patients do die and the staff are trained to deal with bereavement. There are only 13 beds so in winter when coughs and colds are rife the staff do have a headache trying to juggle admissions and discharges. Staff and Jan at Seacroft Hospital
THE FUTURE
The Unit is due to be relocated at St James’ Hospital this year with a purpose built unit which will provide access to all the acute services that St James’ has to offer. Although the re-location will be funded by the NHS there will also be a shortfall of money for some of the ‘nice to have’s’ the ward might want and hopefully the money raised can go some way to fulfilling this need.
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