A MAJOR refurbishment of a unit at Airedale General Hospital is due to start this week.

The Haematology and Oncology day unit at the hospital, which specialises in treating blood diseases and looks after cancer patients is receiving a £175k upgrade.

The refurbishment will transform an underused room into a new additional treatment room.

Treatment rooms will get upgraded technology - ready for electronic patient records - to make communication easier with community teams and GPs. 

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Airedale General HospitalAiredale General Hospital (Image: Lesley Tate)

Nicola Denbow, Matron for Integrated Care at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our patients are spending a lot of time on the unit at a really difficult period of their life, so it’s really important we can create an uplifting and calming environment.

"It will be contemporary, clutter free and really comfortable. The equipment we are providing is pioneering, it’s going to be a real transformation, for our patients and staff.”

The Trust said the rooms will feel calming and bright, with the biggest impact in the patient lounge.

All of the 12 new treatment chairs will have new bespoke equipment to ensure patients are as comfortable as possible when having their chemotherapy. 

The chairs have a full reclining feature which means staff can immediately and safely manage patients in a laying down position if they become unwell. 

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Donations to Airedale Charity have made the upgrade possibleDonations to Airedale Charity have made the upgrade possible

Nicola added: “The number of chemotherapy administrations we give has increased significantly in the last 12 months and we know that nationally, the number of people diagnosed with cancer will increase in the next 3-5 years.

“By undertaking this exciting refurbishment, we are ensuring that our unit is fit for purpose so that we can meet the needs of our population because we know more and more people are going to be diagnosed.”

The unit’s services will continue around the refurbishment works so the hospital has waned there will be some noise and disruption. They are asking people to ‘bear with them’ while the works are completed.

The hospital also wants to assure all current and future patients that it will remain safe for them to attend during the refurbishment period and additional services will be offered at mobile cancer units. These will have extended opening hours.

Jodie Hearnshaw, of the Airedale Hospital & Community Charity, said: “Cancer impacts all of us, we all know someone who is going through it, either as families or as friends, and so we’re really happy to support this new unit with the help of our amazing community.”