Cancer drug centre approved for hospital

A plan for a replacement cancer drug centre at a hospital has been approved.

The existing aseptic suite at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire, prepares about 750 chemotherapy doses a month but Frimley Health NHS Trust said the building and some equipment in it needed to be replaced.

A previous plan for a two-storey, 520sqm unit was approved in November but the trust said that would not be progressed because of "costs and time implications".

The scaled-down one-storey building will have a 331sqm footprint and a "seamless connection" to the hospital.

Before the redevelopment can start, an "outdated, worn and unsightly" office building currently on site will need to be demolished, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The aim of the aseptic suite is to "deliver an exceptional development that meets and exceeds urgent clinical care needs and corresponds with the location," an agent for the trust said.

"There is a critical need for the aseptic suite to enable local cancer treatment production capacity and allow the trust to maintain this aspect of its healthcare functions serving the local community," it added.

The new unit will include isolation rooms, cleanrooms and office spaces.

To reduce costs and time, the new aseptic suite will be built off-site before being brought to the hospital.