A NEW £2million chemotherapy unit is to be set up to treat cancer patients from across Lancashire before the end of the year.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had approved a business plan which will see the major investment at Chorley and South Ribble District Hospital over the next two years.

It will have the capacity to treat up to 24 cancer patients per day from across the county.

Hospital bosses said the additional facility would mean the trust could treat more patients and reduce waiting times, as well as providing care closer to home for patients who live in surrounding areas.

It will be a nurse-led day case unit which will enable specialist nurses to deliver treatment to cancer patients without the need to stay in hospital overnight.

Martin Hogg, consultant clinical oncologist at the trust and clinical director for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Centre, said: “More patients than ever before are living with and surviving cancer, which is fantastic.

“However it does mean that the number of people needing chemotherapy treatment is increasing, so this expansion of our service is a vital development and will mean we can continue to provide excellent care with compassion for cancer patients.

“Our aim is to expand the service in line with our patients’ needs, we have a vision to extend the use of our Chorley Chemotherapy Unit in the next 12 months to provide more services, for our patients.

“This is an exciting project and expansion of our services and we look forward to improving experience for our patients with the establishment of our new unit.”

The new unit is partly funded by the Rosemere Cancer Foundation who have donated £50,000 to buy chemotherapy chairs and to help decorate the unit.

Sue Thompson, chief officer for Rosemere, said: “We are delighted to be able to help provide a comfortable and pleasant environment for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. We hope the new surroundings will help make treatment as stress free as possible.”

The new unit is expected to open at the end of 2016.