One year on: Saturday oncology service boosts capacity and cuts wait

The Oncology Day Treatment Unit (DTU) at the Churchill Hospital, part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), is marking one year since expanding its Saturday service—an initiative that has helped almost double the number of cancer patients treated at weekends, improved the quality of patient care and reduce routine waiting times from six weeks to four.

The project began in July 2025 to relieve pressure on busy weekday clinics, which had limited capacity to accommodate new patients. With additional funding, the DTU brought in more Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT)-trained nurses, clinical support workers, pharmacy staff, and administrative support to safely increase the number of patients treated on Saturdays.

By then moving suitable routine treatments to Saturdays, the DTU freed up vital weekday capacity for more complex treatments and new patients who required medical cover.

In June 2025, 112 patients received treatment on a Saturday. By June 2026, that number had risen to 253, showing the impact of the expanded team and improved patient flow.

Liz Mellish, Ward Sister on Oncology DTU at OUH, said: "This project has made a real difference for our patients. By expanding our Saturday service, we’ve been able to treat more people, reduce waiting times and give patients quicker access to the care they need. It's been a huge team effort - our nurses, pharmacy colleagues, support workers, and admin staff have all played a part in making this a success."

The rollout took place in two stages: increased Saturday staffing from four to six nurses in July 2025, and the introduction of an additional nurse in October 2025 that allowed the team to set up a dedicated clinic for subcutaneous treatments.

The addition of an extra SACT-trained nurse followed a licence change enabling nivolumab, previously given intravenously, to be delivered by injection, reducing treatment time to just minutes. Patients and staff have responded positively to the new approach.

Felicity Taylor‑Drewe, Chief Operating Officer at OUH, said: "We're incredibly grateful for all of the hard work that our teams have put into these additional clinics.

"Tackling our cancer waiting times is one of our number one priority. Our teams are working tirelessly and innovatively to reduce any delays and ensure patients receive the care they need.

"My thanks go to every colleague involved in delivering this capacity‑expanding and quality improvement project, and continued commitment to improving our patients' experiences. "