Burnley Chemo unit £100,000 appeal underway

A fund-raising appeal for a new, world class chemotherapy unit at Burnley General Hospital has been launched.
Rosemere cancer unit launchRosemere cancer unit launch
Rosemere cancer unit launch

The Rosemere Cancer Foundation has joined forces with the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Burnley General Hospital, to provide the unit.

Rosemere has guaranteed to raise £100,000 towards the £200,000 total cost of the unit through a public appeal.

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This means that the plans drawn up by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust can now go out to tender and the new unit could welcome its first patients by next spring.

On Thursday, Rosemere staff, patients and hospital staff gathered to give the fund-raising appeal a high-flying send off when hundreds of coloured balloons were released into the sky.

People are now being urged to support the appeal and hold fund-raising events so the target can be reached as soon as possible.

The new state-of-the-art unit will be situated at the hospital’s Casterton Avenue entrance and will replace the current, much smaller chemotherapy suite which is becoming too small to meet demand from a growing ageing population and improving cancer care – and has poor parking facilities and no room for expansion.

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Its replacement will have its own car park and be purpose built to provide a comfortable and relaxing environment and be completely patient focussed.

Sue Thompson, Rosemere’s Chief Officer, said: “The environment in which cancer patients are treated can have a significant impact on outcome and those that receive treatment in centres designed specifically around their needs, such as the new unit planned for Burnley, tend to experience more positive results.

“We already have a lot of supporters in Burnley and its immediate surrounding areas and I am confident they will come forward to help us raise this money and encourage others to join us in our Rosemere Burnley Chemotherapy Unit Appeal.”

The trust’s Business Manager for Cancer Services, Juliette Brookfield, said: “In drawing up the plans for the new unit, we have consulted with current patients, our consultants, doctors and nursing team.

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Deborah Sullivan, East Lancashire Hospitals Trust’s Macmillian Lead Cancer Nurse, said around 4,000 chemotherapy treatments are now delivered annually at Burnley General and the figure is increasing year on year, raising fears that it would reach capacity and patients would have to be referred to other hospitals further afield.

The new unit will mean more patients can be treated in facilities that are second to none.

The Rosemere Burnley Chemotherapy Unit Appeal will be headed by the charity’s East Lancs fund-raising co-ordinator Dan Hill.

He said: “After today’s launch the appeal is up and running. We are planning some exciting and fun local events, which we hope will encourage people of all ages to get on board with the appeal.

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“I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has their own ideas for supporting the appeal or would like to volunteer their help in any way.”

To contact Dan or to make a donation, call 01772 528346. Donations can also be made by calling 01772 522913.

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