Seamoor Unit celebrates first birthday

The new chemotherapy and day treatment centre at North Devon District Hospital has celebrated a busy first year and its first birthday.

Since it opened at the end of March 2015, the Seamoor Unit has seen more than 10,000 patients, divided equally between the unit’s oncology and haematology services.

The £2.5million unit was made possible thanks to the Chemotherapy Appeal, a four-year fundraising campaign promoted by the North Devon Gazette.

Seamoor-Unit-celebrates-first-birthday

The region responded to raise the money, together with large donations from charitable trusts.

The main treatment area is named the Jennifer Bonetta Treatment Room in memory of the founder of the North Devon Cancer Care Centre Trust, which donated hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Unit manager Emma Thoms said she had not known what to expect in the first year, but patients had been delighted with the difference to the former cramped, shared facility at the hospital.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from patients about the space and it being light and airy,” she said.

Before the unit was built, many patients had to travel to Exeter for treatment.

Now they can enjoy a better environment and an enhanced service that includes specialist nurses to offer telephone or face-to-face advice on dealing with side-effects of treatment.

Fundraising manager Ian Roome said: “A huge thank you to the people of North Devon and Cornwall for their dedicated fundraising.

“But our hospital charity Over and Above stills need to raise funds for additional medical services and equipment at the unit not available on the NHS.”

Article and photo courtesy of North Devon Gazette.