U-turn on cancer unit
Plans for a permanent breast cancer screening unit in Newark Hospital have been scrapped.
Those involved in fundraising for a state-of-the art digital mammography machine for a unit in the hospital’s Sherwood Women’s Centre have been told they can have the money back or allow it to be used for other projects at the hospital.
It is understood that more than £100,000 has been raised.
A letter from Mrs Nadia Whitworth, the secretary of the League of Friends of Newark Hospital, seen by the Advertiser, says the trustees have decided to stop fundraising and close the appeal account.
Members of Newark Breast Cancer Support Group said they were upset and disappointed. They said the news had come out of the blue.
They said they had encouraged the public to raise money for the appeal and people had given money believing it was to benefit those who might have breast cancer.
The unit was to have replaced a mobile screening service.
The support group had wanted to provide a service at the new unit helping those referred for a screening.
They said that that in a cramped mobile unit that would be impossible.
They said: “Our hopes have been dashed. It seems so unfair and we feel that the people of Newark have been let down.”
In December 2008 it was announced that £200,000 was needed.
A former Mayor of Newark, Mr Bryan Richardson, had already raised £8,500 for it during his term of office.
Tracy Doucet, the chairman of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, which runs the hospital, said at the time the mobile unit did not offer the greatest dignity and privacy.
“The women of Newark deserve better,” she said.
A joint response from the trust and NHS Nottinghamshire County said that while they were grateful for the fundraising it was not appropriate to use the money in the way it was intended.
They said the machine would be under-used at Newark because there was not enough demand in the area to justify a permanent facility and there would be ongoing cost implications for the NHS through staffing and other overheads.
They say it was important the NHS invested in services that were fully used and it had been decided that NHS Nottinghamshire County would continue to commission the existing mobile service run by Nottinghamshire University Hospital NHS Trust on the Newark Hospital site.
It will visit twice a week, sometimes less, which they say is enough to provide the level of screening needed.
Deborah Jaines, director of procurement and market management for NHS Nottinghamshire County, said they planned to upgrade the mobile service to provide digital screening and improve disabled access.
The MP for Newark, Mr Patrick Mercer, said it was another blow for Newark Hospital.
“This function is incredibly important,” he said.
“The mobile breast screening unit was set up in the first place because of the demand. Has that fallen away? I find that hard to believe.”
