Salisbury League of Friends donates over £6,400 towards new mobile cancer care unit

Salisbury Hospitals League of Friends has donated £6,475.50 towards the funding for a new mobile cancer care unit for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

The mobile unit, provided by charity Hope for Tomorrow, allows cancer patients to be treated locally rather than having to make long trips to hospitals or oncology centres.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust has operated a Hope for Tomorrow mobile cancer care unit, named Kayleigh in memory of a cancer patient, since 2012. The new, state-of-the-art vehicle, which will continue to carry Kayleigh’s name, will allow the trust to provide cancer care in local communities for many years into the future.

Kara Frampton, corporate and community fundraising manager for Hope for Tomorrow, said, “This wonderful donation from Salisbury Hospital League of Friends will fund invaluable equipment that will allow the NHS nurses on board the unit to carry out the same treatment a patient would receive in a hospital setting. By having their cancer care treatment aboard our units, patients can maintain their independence and quality of life, saving precious time and money, as they can fit their treatment around their lives and not the other way around.”

Supported by the people of Salisbury and the surrounding area, the league of friends’ mission is to help finance projects at Salisbury District Hospital that would provide or improve facilities which are beyond the reach of NHS funding.

Dr David Stratton, chairman of the league, visited the current mobile care unit to present the cheque which will fund three chemotherapy chairs and three chemotherapy pump stands on the new Kayleigh. David said, “The league is really pleased to be able to support this wonderful charity, which reaches out to provide real help to those receiving treatment for cancer closer to their homes.”

The mobile cancer care unit travels to Fordingbridge, Westbury and Gillingham to treat cancer patients closer to their homes and workplaces, eliminating the need for them to travel lengthy distances to the hospital to receive their cancer treatment. Last year, the NHS nurses working on Kayleigh delivered 2,749 cancer care treatments, supporting 770 local patients.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Stacey Hunter added, “This mobile unit makes such a massive difference to people as they don’t have to trek to the hospital – it’s a service we can deliver in a really different way and I know patients hugely appreciate it.”

Alex, a patient who receives treatment on board Kayleigh, added, “I love the concept of what Hope of Tomorrow is about; it makes so many people's lives that little bit easier, including mine. I would well and truly be lost without this service.”

Kara added, “We’re extremely grateful to the Salisbury Hospital League of Friends for their generosity. This donation will make such a difference to the lives of local patients like Alex, enabling them to receive their treatment closer to them.”

The funds donated by the Salisbury Hospitals League of Friends will go towards the overall fundraising target of £315,000 for the new Kayleigh and a nurse support vehicle. Over two-thirds of the money has already been raised through company, charity and individual donations. The new mobile cancer care unit will take several months to build and is expected to come into service in September 2023.