New chemo suite opens thanks to £700k of donations

Victoria Price was one of the first patients to receive treatment at the new facility

A new chemotherapy suite has opened at Leicester Royal Infirmary after an appeal raised more than £700,000.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), which runs the hospital, says cancer care will be transformed by the state-of-the-art suite, which opened on Monday.

The refurbished facility includes new treatment equipment and six additional chairs that will allow the trust to provide 4,000 more chemotherapy treatments a year.

This development was made possible through the community donating to the Chemotherapy Suite Appeal, led by Leicester Hospitals Charity (LHC) with the help of GEMS Charity, which supports people with cancer.

The facilities at the Osborne Building in the Leicester Royal Infirmary have been upgraded thanks to an appeal that started back in 2021

Victoria Price, from Newbold Verdon in Leicestershire, was one of the first patients to receive treatment at the new facility.

The 44-year-old said: “The new suite is lovely, today is my first treatment, and I was very nervous, but I felt so reassured when I came in.

"The room is so nice, and the staff are so kind, it has made me feel really relaxed and at ease.”

Ms Price's mum Elaine added: “Thank you to all the people who have donated to this suite; you have made a very difficult time much more relaxing and less scary for patients, and that means the world.”

Building work for the suite started in the second week of July and finished last week, the trust said.

Richard Mitchell, CEO at the trust, said the suite allows staff to provide "a more comfortable and dignified environment" for patients and thanked everyone who donated to the campaign.

Sunita Patel, acting head of LHC, said the opening of the new suite was a "proud moment" for the charity.

She added: "Seeing the finished space and its state-of-the-art facilities highlights the power of community-driven initiatives in making a very real and tangible difference to the lives of patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland."