Health Minister David Ashford has confirmed his department has rejected a charity’s offer to build a brand new oncology and chemotherapy unit at Noble’s Hospital.

As we reported in the Courier on May 4, the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group had offered to provide £1.5m to build and equip the proposed unit.

But this has now been turned down in favour of the department’s preferred option to close Ward 5 as a general medical ward and refurbish it as a chemotherapy unit.

Mr Ashford has confirmed this option will not require him to go to Tynwald seeking more funding, saying: ’This is not a scheme that would require Tynwald approval as it is a day to day hospital management function.

’It is being done from within the existing minor works budget.’

The Minister was not able to provide the exact figure that the department intended to spend on the new unit at the time of going to press.

However he has issued a statement setting out the department’s reasons for rejecting the charity’s offer.

It explains that his department received an outline proposal in April from the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group to fund a new building to house a dedicated oncology and chemotherapy day unit at Noble’s Hospital.

The proposal was ’considered carefully’, Mr Ashford said, and a meeting was held to discuss it on May 21, attended by himself as Minister, the chief executive and representatives of the charity.

He said: ’It was confirmed at the meeting that the department could not accept the charity’s offer as work was already underway at Noble’s Hospital to refurbish a decommissioned ward as a new and upgraded chemotherapy unit.’

He said that the work already being done would provide more than the charity was proposing.

’The charity had previously confirmed that they were not willing to part fund or be involved in the scheme already proposed and now being proceeded with and the department respects that decision,’ he added.

Julie Stokes, chairman of Manx Breast Cancer Support Group, expressed her disappointment at the outcome.

She said: ’We were originally asked by a previous Health Minister if we would consider fundraising for a dedicated oncology and chemotherapy day unit which would include a clinic and consultation area as well as a chemotherapy unit.

’Our charity works very hard and with the enormous generosity of the Manx public we have managed to raise substantial sums of money, all of which we have insisted should be spent on the island.

’We want to use that money to provide something that will add to patient care on the Isle of Man.

’We worked very well with Noble’s and the DHSC when we raised the money and built our breast cancer unit and we have offered to build a similar new oncology and chemotherapy unit worth £1.5m pounds.

’Our offer has been refused as it has been decided instead to close Ward 20 and Ward 5 and convert Ward 5 to a chemotherapy unit.

’As this will mean a loss of 21 general beds for an ageing population of 80,000 we feel this will be detrimental to future patient care and our charity has therefore decided that we cannot be involved in this.’

Patient safety

Mr Ashford said the current base for chemotherapy in Ward 20 poses a patient safety risk as it is remote from the main hospital building at Noble’s and so does not have immediate access to medical support in the event of a clinical crisis.

He said demand for its services is increasing steadily, from 1,509 attendances in 2010 to 3,426 last year.

At present, the unit in ward 20 has five chemotherapy treatment stations.

Ward 5 will be refurbished to provide a 10 station chemotherapy day unit (including single room facilities).

A separate section of the ward will accommodate those patients requiring haematology support (blood transfusion, platelet transfusion etc.).

Oncology outpatient consulting rooms and patient interview space will also be incorporated in the upgraded unit.

Requests from service users for a direct entrance to the new unit from the designated parking spaces at the rear of the ward have been accepted.

Julie Stokes added: ’Although we would not have chosen this outcome as the best way to benefit cancer patients on the island we do wish the department every success.

’Manx Breast Cancer Support is currently fundraising to purchase equipment for both Noble’s Hospital and Isle of Man Hospice.’