Putting patients first as charity donations fund transformation work at the South West Wales Cancer Centre

Generous donations are funding the transformation of part of the South West Wales Cancer Centre in Swansea – after patients asked for it.

The Chemotherapy Day Unit is undergoing a £80,000 upgrade to create a warmer and more welcoming environment for those receiving treatment.

Work, including a series of themed rooms, new flooring, additional treatment chairs and decorative touches such as murals, is due to finish next month. All of it is paid for by donations to the cancer centre.

Now the hope is that a new fundraising appeal, launched by Swansea Bay Health Charity to commemorate the centre’s 20^th anniversary, will help make another huge difference to patients elsewhere on the site.

The appeal, Going the Extra Mile for Cancer, will support the thousands of patients from the Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda areas who are cared for there every year, as well as relatives and staff.

The South West Wales Cancer Centre, SWWCC, is run by Swansea Bay University Health Board and provides a range of lifesaving NHS treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

Until last year the Chemotherapy Day Unit, or CDU, was located in a single storey building behind the main hospital building.

However, it was too small for the CDU to expand to meet demand and so it moved to Ward 9, a former cardiac ward.

“Our new location gave us the opportunity to increase our chair capacity,” said Oncology Services Manager Kate Ashton. “So, we had the space but what we did not have was the environment.

“We wanted to stop it looking like a hospital ward. It was quite cold and not welcoming. Some patients are here from first thing in the morning until the evening and it’s about making it a comfortable and welcoming environment for them and their families.

“When we moved here last September, patients could see what needed to be done. We put up a board where they could write down what they wanted us to get first for them.

“Some of them took it upon themselves to do fundraising activities straight away, specifically for the purposes of improving the patient environment in the CDU.

“Because it is all about patient comfort, patient experience, the environment for their family and friends.

“The first time they come in, it’s quite daunting. They are frightened as well. There are white walls, machines beeping – the last thing you want.”

The CDU has been temporarily relocated to Ward 10 while the transformation is carried out.

The largest of the three treatment rooms requires the most work, including knocking out a small side-office to create a single space.

The old nurses’ station and a corner sink unit will be removed and updated, while the flooring will be replaced, and new electrical sockets installed to provide capacity for additional chairs.

There will also be a wall mural with a seascape theme. The two other rooms require less work and will each have a new mural, one with a floral theme and the other a woodland theme.

The main corridor will also have a new floor.

Work is due for completion in mid-October. CDU Manager Sue Rowland said it would make a massive difference to patients and families.

“The old unit was quite cosy,” she said. “Then we moved to a ward that was white, it looked clinical, it looked like they were in hospital. That is what our patients didn’t like – that hospital environment.

“It’s going to make a huge difference to them and to the staff, because we all want to work in a nice environment.

“But most importantly it’s for the patients. We want them to walk in and feel welcomed, safe and comfortable straight away.”

The £80,000 cost of the work has been met through the South West Cancer Centre Fund, part of Swansea Bay Health Charity, thanks to donations from patients, families, friends and other supporters.

Now the hope is that the Going the Extra Mile for Cancer appeal will allow the next big patient experience project to become a reality.

The old CDU has four large rooms which the team wants to convert into a dedicated outpatients suite, including a series of smaller examination rooms with greater privacy, a homely waiting room, plus a tea bar.

“All the oncology and haematology patients will go there,” said Kate. “They will get to see the consultants there but also the dietitians, therapists, the whole team of staff they need to see, depending on the purpose of their appointment.

“We have enough money left after the new CDU upgrade to make a start but hopefully the anniversary appeal will allow us to really get on with it.”

Swansea legend Kev Johns MBE, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and given the all-clear last year, is calling on people to do whatever they can to get behind Going the Extra Mile for Cancer.

“It’s a remarkable centre, without doubt the best. Let’s make it better and give them the support they need to do the job to help us,” he said.

“The staff are marvellous. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They are truly an amazing group of people.”

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be highlighting not just the great work of the SWWCC and its staff, but also the fundraisers already supporting it.

“Cancer is a horrible thing, but it brings out the best in people,” Kate added. “Everyone who works here loves their job and they are very passionate about their patients.

“You see the relationship between the staff and the patients, and the patients become invested in the cancer centre too.

“That is why they go off and fundraise. A lot of them do their fundraising after they finish treatment, for two reasons. It’s a thank-you to the cancer centre and the staff.

“Also, they identify things and think, ‘That will be better for the next patient, the next patient’s journey’. We’re all touched by cancer, either people having cancer or knowing someone who has it.”

If this story has inspired you to support Going the Extra Mile for Cancer, you can donate here. Find out more about the appeal, and read the latest news stories, here.