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The Sir William Rous Unit was commissioned and built following a national drive by the Government not only to maintain service excellence but also to provide better healthcare, closer to home and widen the choice for patients regarding where they receive treatment.
Services for patients comprise outpatient and diagnostic clinics, including mammography and ultrasound, where patients can rapidly have investigations and receive results from Kingston and Royal Marsden consultants.
There is also a dedicated outpatient chemotherapy suite for patients diagnosed with common cancers where they are treated by Royal Marsden staff working at Kingston.
And the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service gives people affected by cancer the chance to ask questions and talk through their concerns in confidence. The centre is run by experienced specialist staff and trained volunteers and it holds a wide range of leaflets and other materials about cancer, and provides access to cancer-related information online. People living with cancer and their families can also find out more about the support groups and complementary therapies that are available.
Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden, said:
“This is a unique partnership that will ultimately benefit cancer patients. Together with Kingston we identified a local need, and we are now providing services that fulfil that need.
“It is particularly important for patients as they will be able to have their chemotherapy treatment closer to home; the more care we can provide locally, the better.
“We hope to continue to identify gaps in the provision of cancer services and hope to enter into further partnerships where we can add value and support.”
Carole Heatly, Chief Executive of Kingston Hospital, said: “I am delighted to announce that the Sir William Rous Unit opened its doors to patients this week. We are working together to give patients with cancer the best medical facilities, as well as high quality information and support services that are part of the caring process. Our shared vision is to deliver the best, specialist services from a first-class facility, to our local patients.”
Stephen Richards, Regional Director for London, Anglia and South East, Macmillan Cancer Support, said:
"When you're living with cancer, having the right king of information and support at the right time is essential. It can help you make informed choices about your treatment and care, and take away some of the uncertainty and fear, so you feel more in control. We're very pleased to be working with Kingston Hospital and The Royal Marsden to provide an all-round excellent service for local people affected by cancer."
The Unit is dedicated to Sir William Rous, who was Chairman of Kingston Hospital from December 1996 to 1999. Sir William was committed to the improvement of services at Kingston Hospital and his experience as a patient led him to initiate changes that could be made to improve patient care, especially for cancer patients. A major appeal, Kingston Can, was launched by Kingston Hospital in May 2001 to raise the funds to build a new cancer unit. Through the generosity and support of the local community, the Kingston Can appeal raised £3.0 million. The fundraising was supported by a donation of £1.4 million from The Royal Marsden and £630,000 from Macmillan Cancer Support in 2006.
