History
Lillebaelt hospital is a regional hospital in the region of Southern Denmark. It was established in 2008, when the hospitals in Kolding, Vejle, Middelfart, Fredericia, and Give merged. Today the hospital consists of units in Kolding, Vejle, and Middelfart.
The hospital consists of 17 clinical departments and 9 clinical service wards (e.g. anesthesia, laboratories, physical therapy and pharmacy) and employs app. 5,000 staff members and serves app. 60,000 inpatients and 520,000 outpatients per year.
Profile
The oncology department was established in 1983 at Vejle Hospital and is one of 7 cancer centers in Denmark. At the beginning the clinic mainly treated inpatients, but over the years it has expanded to include in- and outpatient clinics, specialized palliative care (SPC) team, radiotherapy, and a research department.
The department employs app. 200 staff members from various backgrounds (e.g. doctors, nurses, physical therapists, physicists, psychologists, and social workers).
The department has app 60,000 outpatient visits per year and 1,500 admissions and is responsible for app. 22,000 radiotherapy and 9,000 chemotherapy procedures a year.
Patients are met by a dedicated staff who puts the patient's needs and wishes first, gives treatment according to international guidelines and evidence, and uses modern treatment equipment.
Specialities
The Oncology department offers treatment for the 6 most typical types of cancer.
We have a goal of being patient-centered. Our aim is to provide all our patients with a doctor who is overall responsible for the patients' pathway, when they receive treatment at the Oncology department.
The doctor is also responsible to ensure that the patients and their families are involved, when difficult decisions have to be taken.
We have a close collaboration with the patients' GP and invite them to participate at a video conference with patient and oncologist. The patient and the family have the opportunity to attend a family conversation, supervised by a specially trained nurse.
Palliative and Supportive Care
Like the oncology department the SPC team is multidisciplinary. It consists of doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists and secretaries. In the palliative rehabilitation program the team furthermore employs a part time dietitian, a social worker, an occupational therapist, and a chaplain.
The SPC team offers home based multidisciplinary palliative care, an outpatient clinic, a 12-week outpatient palliative rehabilitation program, and an advisory function (i.e. telephone consultations, visits to wards, educational sessions, participation in routine patient conferences at different departments of the center). The physicians of the SPC team also cover the nearby hospice.
The services of the SPC team are available to the entire hospital. Irrespective of potential active treatment the patient can be referred directly to home based SPC or to the SPC outpatient clinic for individual SPC treatment or for the 12 week palliative rehabilitation program with patient-/caregiver school and physical exercise in groups.
Last update: March 2024
