Yeovil Hospital Charity is fundraising to build a dedicated Breast Cancer Unit right here in Yeovil. The new unit will bring all of the relevant services together, meaning that patients will no longer need to move around the hospital to access the various services they need. Patients can see a specialist nurse, have their clinical examination, an ultrasound scan, a mammogram, a biopsy, a prosthesis fitting and an appointment with a doctor, all in one place.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have exceeded our original £2 million target. However, the cost of construction materials has risen sharply and there is now a global shortage of many items, so we expect the new breast unit to cost significantly more than the £2 million we had originally planned. We will therefore continue to fundraise and raise as much as we possibly can.

WHY WE NEED A BREAST UNIT

More women are surviving breast cancer, but more are being diagnosed than ever before

One in eight women in the UK will face breast cancer in their lifetime

The team in Yeovil treat 2,000 new patients every year and 3,000 follow-up patients

There are currently no dedicated facilities for these patients at Yeovil Hospital

Demand is increasing by 5% every year so the shared facilities are being stretched to the limit

Patients are having to undress multiple times in different departments around the hospital

There are no rooms available for difficult conversations

Breast cancer patients wait in shared waiting areas

There is currently no fitting room for prostheses and specialist underwear needed after surgery

Lack of space and the use of multiple locations affect patient privacy and dignity

Yeovil Hospital Charity is going to change this, by raising the funds needed to build a dedicated Breast Cancer Unit, which will be a one-stop-shop for patients with Breast Cancer and suspected Breast Cancer.

THE NEW BREAST CARE UNIT

The new unit will bring all of the relevant services together. Patients can have their clinical examination, an ultrasound scan, a mammogram, a biopsy, a prosthesis fitting, an appointment with a doctor and an appointment with a specialist nurse all in one place. There will be shorter waiting times and no need to move around the hospital and get undressed in multiple locations. The new facilities will include:

Counselling space for difficult conversations

A changing room, designed specifically for patient privacy and dignity, and a fitting room for specialist bras and prostheses, which are important after surgery

Comfortable waiting area, away from other busy outpatient areas and treatment rooms

Art and natural light to make the atmosphere as relaxing as possible

Mammography room and separate ultrasound rooms

A wellbeing room for support groups, staff and patients

If we are fortunate enough to raise more funds than we need, any additional donations would still be used to support Breast Cancer patients.