The Christie Charity
The Palatine ambulatory care service at The Christie is part of the haematology and teenage and young adult (TYA) services. It delivers some treatments on a day unit so patients don’t have to stay in hospital, meaning they can spend more time at home or in a hotel.
What is ambulatory care?
Previously, if you were receiving some treatments including high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant, you would have to stay at The Christie as an inpatient.
With ambulatory care, these can instead be delivered at the Palatine ambulatory care unit during the day. This means that you can go home overnight if you live close to The Christie or stay in accommodation provided by the hospital if you live further afield.
For certain treatments, you will also need to continue receiving treatment overnight via a small electronic pump overnight. You can carry this with you in a small waist bag or a rucksack.
Not everyone will be able to go home during ambulatory treatment – there are some criteria to ensure patients’ safety. You can read more about these in our patient booklet about the Palatine ambulatory care unit [PDF File]. We’ll also explain the criteria to you if you’re a patient on the unit.
The benefits of ambulatory care
Ambulatory care can provide a number of benefits to patients compared to staying at hospital as an inpatient. It allows patients to rest either at home or in a comfortable environment.
If patients are staying at home overnight, this can help to add a greater degree of normality to the treatment experience.
Patients’ carers or companions can stay with them at all times – this wouldn’t be possible if they were an inpatient. They will also receive the same quality of treatment in ambulatory care as they would do on a ward.
Contact details and opening times
The Palatine ambulatory care unit is open:
- 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday
- 8am to 4pm on Saturday
You can contact the Palatine ambulatory care unit on their telephone number:
- 0161 956 1079
- 0161 956 1082
Outside of opening hours, please call The Christie Hotline: 0161 446 3658.