This is what a new state-of-the-art Breast Care Centre at Ipswich Hospital could look like - if plans for the proposed £5.3million site are approved.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), the organisation which runs Ipswich Hospital, is submitting a detailed planning application for the new centre.
It says the number of patients needing breast care is rising, but that the town doesn’t have a dedicated clinic - with Ipswich Hospital’s breast care team currently sharing space with other departments.
That means patients often have to get dressed and undressed as they move between different departments for services such as breast screening and breast imaging.
ESNEFT says the site, which is getting £4.1m from the support of NHS funding and the community, will match the “gold standard treatment” care teams already provide.
Consultant breast surgeon Hussein Tuffaha added: “As well as being clinically excellent, it will be welcoming, spacious and calming and will give our patients and their loved ones a far better experience when visiting.”
Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity is aiming to raise the remaining £1.2m needed to complete the project.
Mandy Jordan, associate director of Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity, said: “The charity is hugely proud to be a partner in this exciting project.
“All the money raised and donated through the charity will go towards making the centre state-of-the-art.
“There will be extra equipment, artwork, peaceful indoor spaces and gardens. We can provide dedicated areas for patients to be able to hold support groups and meetings.
“We want to thank all the fundraisers and donors who have supported the Blossom Appeal so far, as well as rallying local people to get involved and help us raise that last £1.2million.”
If planning is approved, the new centre is due to open in the central outpatients’ area of the hospital in spring 2022.
The Breast Care Centre is one of a number of building developments planned for Ipswich Hospital.
Plans are underway to build a new Urgent Treatment Centre and Emergency Department and, thanks to another partnership between ESNEFT and Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity, a new Children’s Unit will also be built.
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