Work to start on Lancashire cancer improvements
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is set to start work on a £3.6m long-term project to improve facilities and services for cancer patients from Lancashire and South Cumbria. The development will bring oncology outpatients, which is used for chemotherapy and consultation, and specialist radiotherapy services into the same adjacent facility. The three-storey extension will accommodate the haematology clinic in the outpatient's facility and a dedicated chemotherapy area. There is also the flexibility to expand in the future, with the possibility to house extra patient support facilities. The new facility will also feature e a high-tech radiotherapy training suite, giving trainee and junior radiotherapists a dedicated place to train and get safe hands-on experience. Lynne Smith, oncology general manager at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is an exciting development and providing the vast majority of our life-saving treatments in one place will provide a much better experience for our patients. It also gives us plenty of scope to expand in the future." Tony Curtis, chief executive, added: "Even though the NHS is currently facing a challenging time, it is important that we continue to invest in our facilities and continuously improve services for patients." The development is expected to be completed by June 2012.
