HSE South West is first in Ireland to offer cancer treatment to patients at home

The Cancer Centre at CUH is the first in the country to offer Herceptin in the Home and from today, eligible patients can self-administer their vital treatment in the comfort of their own house.

Herceptin is a life-saving drug that is used to fight HER-2 positive breast cancer by stopping the cells from spreading and helping the body destroy these cells. It is a maintenance drug prescribed for people following their cancer surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy and patients receive it via injection every three weeks, for life.

Helen O’Shea, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Project Lead explains how it works:

“This programme gives people freedom to have treatment at home, and we teach them how to administer the drug themselves at CUH. They have a blood test locally at the GP and once cleared for treatment, it is delivered to them by courier, stored in the fridge and on the appointed day, they can inject themselves at any time and go about their lives. It’s ideal for women who are well used to this treatment already and we will always follow-up with phone calls to see how they are getting on.”

HSE South West’s aim is not only to improve access and convenience for patients receiving Herceptin, but also to use the learning from this programme to inform the wider development of home-based and community-supported Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) pathways across Cork and Kerry.

Sheila Leopold, Integrated Health Area Service Lead, HSE South West said:

“This programme is an example of how regional collaboration can support innovation and transformation. We have brought together multidisciplinary expertise to develop a pathway that brings specialist cancer treatment closer to patients' homes, while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety.

“This demonstrates the value of co-ordinated working across our region, enabling us to deliver more integrated, person-centred care and bring specialist services closer to home.”

Professor Dearbhaile Collins, Clinical Director of Cancer Services, HSE South West said:

“Living with cancer is incredibly tough, and spending hours in a hospital adds a lot of stress. Herceptin in the Home allows these women to live well with cancer. My ambition would be to grow and roll-out this service region-wide across Cork and Kerry - and potentially treat other types of cancer the same way.”

Jane Shanahan, Director of Nursing, Dunmanway Day Care Centre, CUH said:

“Herceptin needs to be administered every three weeks for life. We have women who have been travelling in here to CUH every three weeks since 2009, having to wait, get their injection and travel home again. This is a gamechanger for people with a busy life, not having to arrange childcare, time off work or deal with the traffic and parking.”

Katie Cooke, Pharmacist, CUH added:

“By bringing Herceptin directly into our patients' homes, we are giving them their time back. This is about making treatment easier, safer and much more comfortable. It is a first for Ireland; not only is it giving patients freedom back, but it is also freeing up staff and patient capacity at CUH, so we can care for more patients faster.”

The Herceptin in the Home programme has been supported by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), reflecting a shared commitment to advancing innovative, patient-centred models of cancer care.

ENDS