Oswestry's orthopaedic hospital's £14m tumour unit moves step nearer to reality

The unit will include four new clean air theatres, a high dependency unit and an admission on day of surgery unit. A new dedicated bone cancer centre with inpatient and clinic facilities and a ward will be built on the first floor.

Construction will be carried out by Kier Health, and the unit is due to be completed in spring 2016.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "The tumour unit in Oswestry delivers a nationally specialised bone tumour service, one of only five in the UK, with a catchment area of nine million people. We also treat people with metastatic disease - where cancer spreads to other organs.

"But we want to improve the tumour unit for our patients by providing a dedicated environment specifically designed for their care. It will provide a modern state of the art facility in line with the Trust's vision to be the leading centre in orthopaedic care."

The new centre will be located next to the hospital's main entrance, and three old buildings will be demolished to make room.

Gilling Dod, from Gilling Dod Architects Ltd, which drew up the designs for the unit, said staff, patients and the hospital's estates team had been involved in the planning stage.

He said: "Our brief was for a new theatre extension with a tumour outpatients department, 10 bed tumour in-patient department with en-suite facilities, four new theatre operating facility, an integrated admission on day of surgery and day-case unit, and a high dependency unit. The scheme has been planned in consultation with the staff, patients and estates team to achieve distinctive, high quality design providing excellent patient care and environment.

"As part of the external landscaping, the final design includes a small 'reflection' garden off the quiet room to ensure patients that receive bad news can be sheltered and are free to leave the site via a garden gate or back through into the hospital main corridor."