Apheresis is the process of separating blood into its individual elements in order to collect or remove the required element. The Apheresis Service is part of the tissue establishment of St James’s Hospital, which must, by law, meet the requirements of EU Directive 2004/23/EC, in relation to the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells. The service is licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (www.hpra.ie) and is subject to mandatory inspections every two years.
The Apheresis Room can cater for two patients at a time and is located in the Haematology Oncology Day Care Centre.
The care of all apheresis patients is overseen by a consultant haematologist. Scheduling of stem cell procedures takes place at a weekly transplant meeting in consultation with the Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinators.
On arrival in the Haematology Oncology Day Care Centre (HODC), you will be greeted by a clerical officer at reception, who will ask you to confirm your details (name, address, date of birth, contact person etc.) and who will register you for your appointment.
Once registered, an identification bracelet is generated. This must be worn by all patients undergoing treatment or procedure(s) in the HODC
The clerical officer checks whether a blood test(s) has been requested for you and will order the requested test(s) via the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system
If no blood test(s) has been requested, patients wait until called for their procedure
Prior to apheresis, a preliminary nursing assessment is conducted. This involves a general assessment of the patient’s physical and psychological well-being, weight, height and vital signs, as appropriate
Standards for treatments/procedures are outlined in specific protocols:
PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) line insertion.
Following treatment, you will be given an appointment/ treatment slip for your next treatment date. The nurse may request specific blood tests and/or treatments needed at your next visit. The nurse will also provide any ongoing information/education that you require
Next, bring the appointment/ treatment slip to reception where the clerical officer will book your next visit for you and will give you an appointment card with the date and time for your next procedure
Blood tests required for the next visit are recorded on the EPR system.
The HODC is managed by the HOPe (Haematology, Oncology and Palliative Care) Directorate Management Team. Given the nature of its services, the HODC has a specialist nursing and administrative team that works closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team to provide integrated patient-centred care.
Clinical leadership is provided by the HOPe Clinical Director
Nursing leadership is provided by the Clinical Nurse Manager. The nursing team consists of staff nurses, clinical nurse managers and site-specific clinical nurse specialists teams:
Chemotherapy Nurse Specialists
Oncology Nurse Specialists
Haematology Nurse Specialists
Bone Marrow Transplant Nurse Specialists
Clinical Trials Nurse Specialists
Healthcare Assistants
Administrative leadership is provided by the Administrative Team Manager and the Deputy Business Manager. The administration team includes:
Clinic Coordinators
Secretarial staff
Pharmacy leadership is provided by the Chief II Oncology Pharmacist
Support staff, including porters, cleaning staff and catering staff, are under the management of General Support Services.