“What I want, more than anything, is for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer not to feel so desperate and terrified, to be treated with as much care as possible and to remove as much stress as possible from their experience... Nothing can remove the shock of diagnosis with breast cancer, but a sensitive, caring and familiar environment all under one roof can really help women adjust better and to come to terms with their illness.”
(Patient and long term campaigner for the creation of the new unit)

Our vision is to refurbish and build a brand new, dedicated Breast Cancer Centre at Southmead Hospital; providing a significantly enhanced and much needed centralised service to patients across Bristol and beyond. This centre has been designed in close and extensive consultation with patients, medical professionals, staff and friends of the hospitals to meet their needs and following their experiences.

Patients accessing the centre from across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset will benefit from:

• Shorter waiting lists, meaning more people can be treated more quickly leading to higher survival rates
• A more rapid response between women finding a lump, being screened and receiving treatment
• An environment designed around patient pathways, ensuring that patients can easily flow through the centre accessing the areas most suitable to their needs
• An increased awareness drive to educate the public, due to the sites all working together in one home
• A light, peaceful, welcoming and supportive environment, where every detail, space and service is specifically designed to make the experience as non-medicalised and easy as possible for each patient.
• Being able to access separate areas for patients coming for initial screenings and those who are symptomatic
• The provision of quiet and reflective areas, including 3 garden spaces, one of which will be specifically for those who have just received a positive diagnosis.