A NEW era for cancer treatment at Kidderminster Hospital will start on Monday – thanks to generous Shuttle readers.

The Millbrook Suite will open following a revamp paid for using £150,000 raised during the appeal run through the paper last year.

The work means cancer patients can now be treated in more comfortable and modern surroundings.

Matron, Glenis Adams, said: “Patients, relatives and staff are so grateful to the hospital League of Friends and everyone in the local community for their ongoing fund-raising and support for Millbrook Suite. To have a facility like this in Kidderminster is fantastic.

“The refurbishment has taken around five months and we have all been very excited about moving back in. The improved and enhanced facilities we can now offer means that patient experience will be second to none.”

An open day is being held on Sunday, June 13, from 2pm to 4pm, when people can take a tour of the new facilities and see the work that has been done.

The Millbrook Appeal was run by The Shuttle and the League of Friends, who donated £100,000 towards the total £250,000 cost of the project.

The rest was generated by hundreds of readers organising all kinds of fund-raising events. Cheques are still being sent in and any money received from now on will be used to support the unit in the future.

League of Friends chairman, David Wase, said: “It’s fantastic that the Millbrook is ready and patients can start being treated there.

“We’re so grateful to Shuttle readers for making this happen and for the money that keeps coming in.”

Features of the new suite – which cares for up to 70 patients a week – include a dedicated breast care room, aromatherapy rooms, patient quiet areas and a dedicated nurse-led bone marrow suite.

Other work on the unit included replacing the carpet, which had been in place since the Millbrook was opened in 1998. A new vinyl flooring surface has been laid instead, which will be easier and quicker to clean.

John Rostill, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The safety and experience of our patients is our key priority and the improvements made to the Millbrook Suite will ensure this continues to improve.”