A NEW £3.5 million cancer care unit is planned for Medway Maritime Hospital at Gillingham.

When it’s complete in about a year’s time, cancer patients in Medway will no longer have to travel to Maidstone for chemotherapy treatment, as they do now.

Medway NHS Trust is joining forces with the Primary Care Trusts and Macmillan Cancer Relief to provide the new centre.

Chief executive Andy Horne said the new facilities would involve some new building and extensive refurbishment of part of the hospital’s 'A’ block. The result would be, to all intents and purposes, a brand new facility.

“Although the new centre will not be operational for a year, we may establish a temporary facility before then, so some patients can come here for chemotherapy much sooner,” he said.

“Obviously this is going to benefit a large number of patients, who will be able to receive treatment locally.

“When people are going through the debilitating process of chemotherapy, they don’t want to put up with the problems of travelling to a different town.”

Mr Horne said Medway Maritime would continue its links with oncologists at Maidstone even after the new facility was up and running.

He added that the plan had the full backing of the local health care community and was in line with national plans for development of cancer services.

The news was welcomed by Ann Palmer, chairman of the Patient Public Involvement Forum for Medway Maritime.

“It’s great news,” she said. “When people are undergoing treatment for cancer they are particularly vulnerable.

“They don’t want to travel, even as far as Maidstone. The new centre will make their lives much more comfortable.”

Steve Richards, director of Macmillan Cancer Relief for the region said: “We are pleased that discussions are going so well on the development of a new cancer care unit to provide specialist treatment for local people that is much nearer home.

“Discussions are still under way and we hope that both organisations can make further announcements about the future of this exciting new Macmillan Cancer Unit in the next few months.”