Cancer Centre Appeal

The Cancer Centre Appeal was launched in January 2004, to raise over £3 million, for a new building to improve facilities for local people with cancer in 

To meet the growing demands for cancer treatment, 

To improve the currently restricted facilities, 

To meet national cancer treatment standards. 

The new 2 storey building will provide the clinical teams with the space they need to treat cancer patients with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Chemotherapy Day Unit

60% of all cancer patients need Chemotherapy Treatment

Treatment can last between 30 minutes and 8 hours per session, on a weekly, fortnightly or a daily basis.

Since 1994, the number of patients treated has risen from just under 1,000 to over 5,000 per year, and the Day Unit is working to its maximum capacity.

The Chemotherapy Day Centre was built in 2000 to provide a comfortable environment for local people with cancer to receive their treatment. However, further space is needed to deliver complex new drugs and chemotherapy regimes, and to cope with increased referrals, and to avoid long waiting lists.


Jane, who was treated for Breast Cancer in 2005 said "My treatment at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was out of this world in every way.  The nurses were marvelous and it was a really cheerful place to have your chemo.  They are desperately short of space though, and once you have been diagnosed you just want to get on with the treatment."

 

Extra space is also required to develop PICC Line Chemotherapy, which means the patient can go home to have their treatment. 

Space is also needed for clinical trials, so that local cancer patients will have access to some of the newest drugs and treatments available.

The proposed new building will be in addition to the current facilities, and will be joined to the existing building.

Haematology (Clinic 9)

The Haematology Department treats patients with cancer of the blood, eg.

Since 1994, the number of patients treated has increased from 200 to over 1000 cases per year.

Malignant blood disorders can affect anyone at any age

Treatment can last between three and six months, and includes multi-drug chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. 

Treatment is currently administered in a very small area, which is extremely cramped and inappropriate.

There is no designated Reception Area, and the Clinic lacks  space, comfort and privacy for patients to ask questions about their illness.

 
Emma, who was treated for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 1997 said "The team who treated me were fantastic, but they are working with inferior facilities. Dr O'Connor and the staff in clinic 9 deserve an adequate and suitable environment to provide the excellent service that is so highly valued by many of their patients."

 

A new building is needed to provide additional chairs and beds for Haematological  procedures, to meet patients needs and to provide a comfortable and appropriate environment.

Head & Neck Department

The Head & Neck Unit treats patients with cancer of the head or neck, eg.

Head & Neck cancers can affect adults of all ages, and are becoming increasingly common. 

Treatment is lengthy due to the complex functions such as speech, swallowing or sight.

Many patients stay in hospital for  up to 2-3 weeks following surgery.

Rehabilitation is intense, to meet the patients unique needs, eg. facial disfiguration, loss of self image, along with associated psychological, communication and functional problems.

Current facilities are inadequate, rooms are cramped and lack natural light and ventilation.

The rooms in the Head & Neck Unit were originally intended for Day Surgery when the service was transferred from the ENT Hospital on Town Walls, Shrewsbury, to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. 

Mick, who was diagnosed with cancer of the Larynx in 2000 said "The treatment I received was first class.  It is incredibly personal, and everybody knows your name.  I can't say enough in praise for the staff here, but the facilities need improving.  The building was not designed for long term, and I was in the hospital for almost 6 weeks in July 2000, when it was very hot, and there was no flow through of air.  The new Cancer Centre would make a big difference."

A new building is needed to provide in-patient beds for cancer investigations and surgery. The rooms will have en-suite facilities which will provide patients with the privacy and comfort they need to aid their recuperation.