Chemotherapy Unit | North Bristol NHS Trust

Welcome to the Chemotherapy Suite at Southmead Hospital. We offer chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and monoclonal antibody treatments. Your haematology team will give you detailed information about the type of treatment you will have and answer your questions.

When you have been diagnosed with a blood cancer your treatment may include chemotherapy and this is the place you will come to receive your treatment.

Your haematology doctor will refer you to us for chemotherapy treatment and once appointments have been allocated you will be contacted by the chemotherapy or haematology nurses.

Chemotherapy works by killing cancer cells and has different effects on different cancer types. You may have a combination of different cancer drugs.

Treatment is given in cycles. Each cycle is made up of the treatment and rest time to allow your body time to recover. Depending on the treatment you are having, each cycle may take two, three or four weeks.

You will have regular reviews with your team throughout your treatment.

You will need to have some routine blood tests before all your treatment appointments at a pre-assessment appointment.

The chemotherapy suite has 10 chairs separated by screens to ensure your privacy. We strive to provide a friendly, relaxing environment for patients and relatives. We encourage patients to bring a relative or friend to stay with you during your treatment. You will not have to stay in hospital overnight, however you may need to spend most of the day in the chemotherapy suite. Please feel free to bring a book, laptop or tablet computer to use while having treatment. There is free Wi-Fi available and we offer hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks for patients receiving treatment. A water fountain is also available on the chemotherapy suite.

We are able to provide a range of supportive therapies and have close working links with specialist nursing teams, haematologists and the acute oncology service.