Table 8 Illustrative data extracts from theme E1: Personal care and close relationship with BMT nurses

Access to BMT nurses

“I've had ready access to XXX, the post-transplant nurse co-ordinator, and she’s been very good; seems very knowledgeable and very encouraging… I think that it’s probably the availability of XXX on the end of the phone that, you know, within 24/48 h, but usually, you know, within that working day you can have a friendly voice that knows you, so I think a personal relationship is important. And the fact that she has access to all of the other colleagues that she can then go and speak to and get back to me. So, she has been really helpful as an access to information and just practical, you know, prescriptions and things like that.”—P3

“They spent … spent some considerable time with me when I go in for my clinic appointment, they're always… you know, they're available during working hours on the phone, they're perfectly happy to call up; they will follow-up after the clinic appointments. They are sympathetic, well informed.”—P8

“Having those individual contacts rather than, you know, just ring up and you'll get a team cos it happens every time. You know, cos otherwise… you know, if you have that, you know, every time, you know, you're explaining your problem and your history over and over again, whereas…the individuals get to know you and remember your history.”—P2

[BMT nurses] “They're very good friends now; they're all friends with my mum and my dad and all my family now as well, cos obviously they’ve been there, seen me at my lowest…If I could give them more than ten out of ten I'd give them a full on eleven… They always put on a smiley face even when you know they're going to be absolutely—excuse my French—bloody knackered… I don’t know to word it, but it be that, you know, that side of them; everyone of them—doctors, nurses, every one of them; even the people that come in, you know, to change your bed, and even the trainees, they're always smiling.”—P4

“You know, as far as sort of care and attention is concerned from the people, you know, I can’t fault it really.”—P2

Close monitoring

"I've had situations where one of the consultants has called me several times after the clinic appointment once he’s had a look at my bloods and things to suggest that we alter the medications before the next clinic…in fact one of them phoned me only this morning to make sure that an adjustment be made to the meds yesterday was going OK.”—P8

Freedom to raise concerns to BMT nurses

“All but one of the doctors that I've seen I’ve been really very comfortable with and impressed with. The one that I wasn’t particularly enamoured of I mentioned to the bone marrow transplant team nurse, and I have not been scheduled to meet with that particular individual again.”—P8