New breast care centre plans revealed

The plans would see new diagnostic facilities and clinics built at Stafford County Hospital

A new breast care unit is set to be built in Stafford if plans are approved by the borough council.

University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust wants to build a two-storey facility providing diagnostic and clinic facilities.

The breast care unit (BCU) is earmarked for land at the eastern edge of the hospital site, with a corridor linking it to the existing outpatients department.

Stafford Borough Council will consider the plans at a future date.

The development would also include a landscaped garden area to provide seating and "space for quiet contemplation" outside.

UHNM's planning statement said its breast screening service already operated from Stafford as well as Hanley, but that the new facility would allow different clinics to operate at the same time and increase the number of patients seen.

It said that the new BCU would facilitate an "efficient and compliant service", with future aspirations that the unit would offer a greater range of treatments as technology advances.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.