Hospital receives £2m boost to improve cancer care

Cancer patients are set to benefit from a £2m investment from a local authority to improve care at a Surrey hospital.

The Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust says almost half of the funding from Waverley Borough Council (WBC) will go towards a new chemotherapy unit.

The trust says its Chilworth Day Unit, at Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, is currently "operating at full capacity", with 52 chairs treating about 600 patients each week.

It adds the expansion is expected to nearly double the number of patients who can be treated in order to meet "rising demand".

The trust explains the funding will go towards increasing capacity to 100 chairs to support more patients, including those with complex cancer needs.

Louise Stead, group chief executive of Royal Surrey and Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals, said the investment would support "several important projects".

"As the number of people needing cancer treatment continues to grow, it is vital that we provide the best possible support," she says.

"This includes delivering life‑saving chemotherapy and targeted treatments in a modern, purpose‑built environment."

The trust says the investment includes funding for a new aseptic unit, where controlled medicines such as chemotherapy drugs can be prepared safely, and specialist equipment for the £43.5m Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre, due to open later this summer.

Royal Surrey provides diagnosis and treatment to more than 8,000 patients each year across the South East, the trust says.

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