Altnagelvin Hospital to get new Health and Wellbeing Campus

Plans have been unveiled for a new Health and Wellbeing Campus at Altnagelvin Area Hospital for patients, carers and their families living with cancer and other long term conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and hypertension

The joint plans by the Western Health and Social Care Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support, include the construction of a new £1 million purpose-built Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre together with the refurbishment of the adjacent Agnes Jones House to support long term condition management of chronic conditions.

The proposed developments will use an interlinking walkway and garden between the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre and Agnes Jones House.

Construction work is due to begin in the Autumn this year with the new campus planned to be fully operational by late 2016 at the same time as the new Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin.

The campus will provide a range of services coordinated around the needs of patients and their families.

These will include information library facilities, wig fitting services, health and wellbeing clinics, complementary therapies, art therapy courses, gentle exercise classes, counselling sessions.

Macmillan will be investing a total of £1.5 million in both developing the Macmillan Cancer Information Centre as part of the Health and Wellbeing Campus and providing initial staff funding. The Western Trust will also contribute £500k from general capital and various Trust Funds.

Macmillan are also supporting the establishment of local outreach information centres in the entrance to the new Radiotherapy Unit.

The leading cancer charity is also funding three posts to work across the entire Western Health and Social Care Trust area.