YEOVIL Hospital is set to open its first ever stand-alone, purpose-built cancer unit next Monday (October 7).

The Maple Unit will open following a five-year long fundraising campaign which saw members of the community, former patients and colleagues at the hospital take part in hundreds of events to raise money for the unit.

The Maple Unit has been designed with plenty of art and natural light, a dedicated area for difficult conversations, and a comfortable waiting area, away from other busy outpatient areas and treatment rooms.

Consultant breast surgeon at Yeovil Hospital, Caroline Osborne, said she is thrilled the Maple Unit is set to open next week.

“This is absolutely amazing news and I’m over the moon that it’s finally opening,” she said.

“It has been such a long time in the making, from when we first came up with the idea 10 years ago, and the incredible fundraising campaign that followed, to seeing the unit getting built before our very eyes.”

The Maple Unit will have state-of-the-art equipment, including a brand new mammogram machine.

Ms Osborne added: “We’re really conscious that we wanted to improve the overall experience of our patients during what’s a very difficult time for them.

“To achieve this, we’ve made the overall process of being assessed and seen much easier, as well as follow-up appointments for things like the fitting of prosthesis, counselling, or other support through their cancer diagnosis now available in a beautiful and calming environment.

“There’s a lot more privacy too, and we have a discreet exit from the building that can be used if someone is really upset, meaning they no longer need to walk through the waiting room in front of others.”

James Kirton, head of the Yeovil Hospital Charity which organised the fundraising efforts, said he’s very proud of everyone who has given so much time, effort and money to the fundraising campaign.

“Developing a new breast unit has only been possible thanks to a successful fundraising campaign, which brought in a wide range of support from the local community and also further afield,” he said.

“The breast cancer unit appeal was launched by Yeovil Hospital Charity in March 2019 and has raised almost £2.9 million.

“Yeovil Hospital Charity is now part of the Somerset NHS Charity family, which supports all of the services delivered by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

“It actually feels quite emotional to finally see the unit open, and I know that’s a feeling shared by so many of our fundraisers, many of whom are former patients.

“Our Breast Cancer Unit Appeal got off to an amazing start, as our hospital was fully behind it and it really caught the imagination of people from Yeovil and surrounding areas, which helped get it to every corner of the community.”

Maggie Hague, who has received breast care from Yeovil Hospital and chose to take part in the fundraising appeal, said: “The new breast cancer unit appeal has meant a lot to me, having been on the breast cancer journey myself at Yeovil Hospital, and I wanted to give something back.

“The hospital is blessed with an excellent breast cancer team who work very hard under difficult circumstances, having had no place to call their own…now they are going to have a state-of-art Breast Cancer Unit.

“The team at the hospital, and the people of Somerset, need this so much as breast cancer affects not only the patients, but their families and lives as well.”