The patient journey

What to expect before your chemotherapy treatment at The Christie

The Oak Road treatment centre is open from 7:45am to 10pm, administering treatments that can last between 30 minutes and 8 hours.  

If your treatment takes longer than this, you will be booked to receive your treatment on one of our inpatient wards.

Your appointments and treatment visits will depend on the type of treatment you are receiving and will vary depending on the number of times your consultant needs to review you in a clinic.  

On the dates you have an appointment to see the doctor, you will receive an appointment for a blood test, an appointment with the doctor and an appointment on a separate day to receive your treatment. On the dates you are not required to see the doctor, you will receive an appointment for a blood test and your treatment only. 

Due to the process required to check blood results and prepare treatments, there will be time during your visit that you may experience a wait, either before you see the doctor or before your treatment. We will do everything we can to keep this to a minimum.  

Please provide a mobile number when you book in at reception and the team will keep you updated regarding any delays during the day wherever you are in the hospital. 

If you have any special dietary requirements, please let the staff know. We provide soup and sandwiches for patients on the treatment floor at meal times. You are also welcome to bring your own food when you come for treatment. Please be aware that we cannot heat any food you bring.

You can watch a video below to see what happens when you come to The Christie as a chemotherapy patient. This video has been produced by the nursing, dietician and pharmacy staff to help provide you with information of what to expect when attending for treatment with us at systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT) services.  

This is a general information video – your clinical team will give you specific details about your own treatment during your appointments.