Handover of Haematology and Oncology Day Unit Marks Major Milestone
A major milestone has been reached in the development of the new £2.65 million Haematology and Oncology Day Unit at Heartlands Hospital following the completion of construction.
The keys to the refurbished unit were officially handed over by main contractors Speller Metcalfe on Thursday, 22 January, marking the start of the final phase of the project ahead of opening to patients in February.
Over the coming weeks, medical equipment will be tested, technology connected, the building fully fitted out, and staff inducted to ensure the unit is ready to welcome its first patients.
Located in the former ENT building, the new unit will bring together haematology and oncology services together under one roof. Designed with patients’ needs at its heart, the facility will include three additional procedure rooms, three new treatment chairs, a quiet area, and a dedicated patient entrance, creating a welcoming home-from-home environment.
The development will also provide significantly improved facilities for staff, including a new staff room, changing areas, a seminar room, and dedicated office spaces, supporting multidisciplinary working and staff wellbeing.
Dawn Hambarsoonian, Haematology and Oncology Day Unit Manager, said: “It is fantastic to reach this point in the project with this refurbishment. There is still a great deal of work to be done to prepare for opening to patients, but we have a great team working on this, and we’re getting excited about moving in.
“We are looking forward to having a new space to treat patients in and being able to see more patients, sooner. Currently, around 70 patients are treated each week at Heartlands. With the additional space, we expect to treat approximately 140 patients a week. We will also be able to run four clinic rooms across three clinics a week between oncology and haematology for outpatient appointments in the new unit.”
Ed Landon, Operations Director, Heartlands Hospital, said: “This is a significant milestone for the project and will undoubtedly improve cancer care and the overall patient experience. An important part of this development is ensuring our staff have a much better environment to work in, and this facility will support stronger multi-disciplinary teamwork.
“I would like to thank colleagues across the clinical, estates, facilities, and IT teams, as well as our contractors and partners, who have worked together to ensure construction work was completed on time and on budget.”
Rob Lashford, regional director at Speller Metcalfe, added: “We’re delighted to handover the keys to the brand-new haematology and oncology day unit. It’s been a great project for the team and we look forward to seeing the benefits that this new space will bring to patients of Heartlands Hospital.”
The hospital’s oncology and haematology services moved from Ward 19 to the Medical Innovation, Development and Research Unit (MIDRU) in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure patient safety. Refurbishment work started in February 2024.
