First patients treated at new Cancer Centre

Western Health and Social Care Trust Chief Executive, Elaine Way, said the first treatments, delivered last Wednesday via the new state of the art equipment installed at the facility, were a success.

Speaking at the Trust’s December Board meeting, Ms. Way also praised Alan Moore, Director of Strategic Capital Development at the Trust, for overseeing the delivery of the new cross-border service, which will treat cancer patients from Derry and Donegal.

“The excitement in this city is palpable,” she said, adding that the building was “magnificent” and contained “a group of staff very excited by the prospect of treating patients.

“Some of the staff have expressed that they have been so busy with preparation that they haven’t been hands on for a while, so they are so looking forward to this,” Ms Way said.

She added that the “thought of not travelling to Belfast for treatment for six weeks on the trot” would be “transformational” for local cancer patients.

In another development, the Trust was told that the new eight-bed unit as part of the 30-bed Detox Centre in Omagh has now opened, while the Trust’s Director of Performance, Ms. Teresa Molloy, confirmed at the meeting that 100 per cent of breast cancer patients were seen within 14 days during the month of October.