Consultant's fears over cancer services
A TOP consultant has today admitted she may quit Ipswich Hospital if controversial plans to scrap cancer treatment get the go-ahead.
A TOP consultant has today admitted she may quit Ipswich Hospital if controversial plans to scrap cancer treatment get the go-ahead.
Lynne Fryer, an expert oral and maxillofacial surgeon, has been nominated for the prestigious Evening Star Patients' Award by patient Jenny Plant.
But Miss Fryer has warned that she is already looking for other jobs because if head and neck cancer surgery is moved from Ipswich to Norwich she would no longer be able to perform the life-saving operations.
Miss Fryer said she and her colleagues were desperate for the surgery to stay at Ipswich, but added she believed the decision to move it may already have been taken, despite an ongoing consultation period.
She said: “I've certainly considered leaving and I have been looking at other jobs, but I don't want to go.
“Unless the government gets interested I think it will go - the decision is being driven through.
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“Patients have been very pleased with their care here, it is a great department. There is no evidence that care would be better in the specialist centres.
“If we lose the head and neck cancer surgery we will lose staff and the department will be downgraded and it will have an affect on other services - there is no doubt about it in any clinician's mind.”
Miss Fryer, who has worked at the hospital for two-and-a-half-years and also completed her training there, is due to attend Ipswich Hospital's awards evening on Thursday.
She has been nominated for the patients' award by Jenny Plant of Wroxham Road, Ipswich, who had two operations under her care last year.
Mrs Plant, who needed to have a tumour in her mouth and sections of bone in her jaw removed after a referral to Ipswich Hospital from her dentist, said: “Leading up to my operation I had the most wonderful care and kindness that you could ever believe. Miss Fryer and her team treated me like I was a queen. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they talked me through everything.
“Miss Fryer gave me and my family the confidence to put all my trust in her and I'm glad I did.
“My reason for nominating Miss Fryer is because she is such a natural, caring person, as well as such a professional one.”
Are you worried about experts like Lynne Fryer leaving Ipswich Hospital? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.
