A multi-million pound cancer centre welcomed its first patients yesterday (Tuesday).
The completion of the Lister Macmillan Cancer Centre at Lister Hospital in Stevenage – funded jointly by Macmillan Cancer Support and the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust – means the centre will be able to treat double the number of patients that were able to use the previous chemotherapy unit.
The facility, which cost £3 million to build, aims to reduce overcrowding and contains a dedicated information and support centre for patients and families, as well as two gardens for patients to relax in while undergoing treatment.
The centre also provides more working areas for nurses and other clinical staff to prepare drugs – improving efficiency and reducing waiting times – a greater number of consultation rooms to allow patients more privacy, and consistent access to a team of Macmillan welfare benefit advisors who can help patients with financial worries.
Alex Gallagher, Macmillan quality and service improvement manager at Lister Hospital, said: “This project has been some time in the planning, fundraising and building, so I’m delighted to see it all come together in the opening of the new centre. Our aim all along has been to provide patients with the best possible environment for their cancer care so it’s fantastic to see patients in the new centre and hear their feedback.”
Half of the cost for building the centre came from the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, with Macmillan Cancer Support – backed as the Comet’s Charity of the Year through to the build’s completion – fundraising the remaining £1.5m.
Kerry Cunnane, Macmillan’s Hertfordshire fundraising manager, said: “The Comet’s championing of the new Lister Macmillan Cancer Centre has been fantastic, boosting local fundraising efforts and helping to improve cancer care across the area. It has been a real pleasure working with the Comet this year and being their chosen charity.
“The team at the Comet really helped us to maximise stories in the newspaper and online. The support they have given to both Macmillan and the new Lister Macmillan Cancer Centre goes above and beyond, and they have really helped us to raise the profile of Macmillan locally as we seek to ensure that no one faces cancer alone.”
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