Health and beauty

Trust chief executive Ann Sheen, governor David Mihell, corporate affairs director Keith Eales and Dr Jonathan Fielden on the site of the new centre
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£20 million cancer and kidney treatment centre for Bracknell

By Hugh Fort
October 22, 2009

Cancer sufferers and patients with kidney problems in Bracknell will soon have state-of-the-art treatment facilities on their doorstep when a new £20 million treatment centre opens in November next year.

The new centre will be the first of its kind in the country and will mean people in Bracknell will no longer have to travel to the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) in Reading for treatment.

Bracknell man pioneers cancer therapy

It will feature the latest cancer therapy equipment.

The unit will be in Brants Bridge, less than a mile from Bracknell town centre. and will be run by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Jonathan Fielden, trust chief medical officer, said: “The new centre will feature state-of-the-art renal [kidney] treatment facilities.

“Dialysis is either three hours or six hours of treatment three times a week, which, combined the traffic issues in Reading, plus a bit of time either side to settle, means a lot of time having treatment, which impacts people’s work and personal lives.

“The centre in Bracknell means a massive cut in travel time for the patients and access to top-class treatment on their doorsteps.”

Trust governer David Mihell, 66, suffered kidney failure in 1995 and had to travel to the RBH for dialysis three times a week before a successful transplant.

He said: “This facility will make an enormous difference to people like me.

“I was lucky and had a successful transplant.

“But combining the treatment with work was increasing my stress levels no end.

“Now people will have access to everything they need in the town they live in, which is fantastic news.”

The new cancer treatment, which is also being introduced at the RBH, is called Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy.

The new technique pinpoints exactly where in the body a tumour is.

The dose is more powerful, but the fact it focuses on one area it reduces the effect of radiation on the rest of the body.

Professor Ann Sheen, chief executive of the trust, added: “For too long the patients in Bracknell have had to travel to Reading or Windsor for their cancer and renal care.

“I am delighted to be able to say that as early as next year that will change and the trust will be meeting its aim of proving services close to where our patients live.”

There is already a kidney treatment centre in Windsor so Bracknell patients will have exclusive use of the facilities at the new centre.

The cancer treatment will be available to people living in the Berkshire East area, which includes Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough.

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Good story - and good that you are investigating local heath issues. But this is in the wrong place for most local residents and seems out of step with other proposed new facilities - such as the Bracknell Heatthspace.

And seems odd that the RBH hospital trust are doing this - rather than the local trust - Heatherwood and Wexham. Both will be funded by the same PCT who commissions health services and healthcare for Bracknell residents.

The PCT and BFC recently announced plans for a marvelous new and comprehensive `Hearlthspace facility' in a new building in Market Street - perhaps they can tell us how this ties in .

This casts doubts as to whether the `Healthspace' project is on track. And who is accountable to local residents about the health services available locally - the PCT have spent lots on `consultation exercises' (Right Care - Right place). Does this fit that - can the PCT explain please?