‘Valuable’ chemotherapy chairs installed at Brodey Cancer Centre

Extra chemotherapy chairs have been installed at the Horton General Hospital's cancer centre so more patients from the local area can access first class treatment closer to home.

Based in the Brodey Cancer Centre, Horton nursing staff can now treat around 100 patients every week in a revamped 11-chair chemotherapy suite, expanded from eight.

The three new chairs, installed in August costing £1,700 each, were funded by the Brodey Centre Cancer Fund, which is part of the Horton General Hospital Charity, as was the £30,000 of work to reconfigure the department to allow the expanded service and make it more welcoming, as well as the creation of a new drugs room.

A number of generous donations from Tadmarton Heath Golf Club, the Carriage Company and the Horton League of Friends, as well as a very special donation from a local family, all helped fund the refurbishment and the new chairs.

The new additions mean more North Oxfordshire patients can receive treatment closer to home, instead of having to travel to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Lisa Aston, a Brodey Centre Sister at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Horton, said: "This is such a valuable improvement for our patients - we are all thrilled. The three new chairs have made a significant impact because they allow 15 extra patients a week from Banbury and North Oxfordshire to be treated in our centre. Our chemotherapy service now operates six days a week, and patients are incredibly relieved to have more flexibility closer to home.

"Having chemotherapy is a lengthy process, so being able to receive this vital treatment in a dedicated local centre makes a real difference that we know our patients will really appreciate - and we're really grateful to all those who have donated, too."

Since April, the Banbury centre, which also cares for patients in the Northampton and Swindon area, has been providing Saturday clinics to meet demand.

Victoria Prentis, MP for North Oxfordshire, said: "This is a great development for the Horton General Hospital. Receiving the best possible care at a difficult time is incredibly important for patients. The fact that so many of them can now receive treatment closer to home rather than travelling to Oxford makes the process much easier for them."

Douglas Graham, CEO of Oxford Hospitals Charity, which includes the Horton General Hospital Charity, said: "Thank you so much to all those people, businesses and charities that have donated to our wonderful Brodey Cancer Centre. The centre has such a special atmosphere and we know patients really appreciate receiving their treatment closer to home."

The Brodey Centre originally opened part-time in August 1998, with a chemotherapy-trained nurse, a breast care nurse, and four chairs.

It was the inspiration of, and partly funded by, the family of a local business man, Ian Brodey, who was treated for a haematological malignancy at the Horton.

His family donated generously in his name and the department has grown from strength to strength.

Pictured: Brodey Cancer Centre team.