Specialist care for patients suffering with cancer and other life threatening conditions, will be provided with a state of the art hospital in Ballymena. Work commenced this week on building a multi-million pound unit at Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland which will include the most up to date modern equipment to help serious conditioned patients.

The £5.36 million development is a joint collaboration between Macmillan Cancer Support, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and the Department of Health and Social Services. The unit will contain 12 en suite bedrooms and three consulting rooms, including overnight accommodation for relatives who wish to stay. 

Specialist staff will be recruited in order to provide the best care to cancer and other patients. The unit will deliver an extensive range of day care and in-patient services including symptom control, rehabilitation and end of life care, along with out-patient care for those who need day care but not necessarily to stay overnight.

Staff training will be fully provided, and more people are encouraged to take on roles in the unit. Macmillan’s general manager for Northern Ireland, Heather Monteverde, said support for the project has been tremendous: "The unit will be staffed by a specialist team who will be working to enhance the quality of life of patients and carers."

Jim Stewart, chairman of the Northern Heath and Social Care Trust, added: "Macmillan has extensive expertise in developing palliative care environments throughout the UK so their role has been crucial in both designing the unit and in delivering the service and the location at Antrim Area Hospital will allow patients to receive specialist palliative care with access to all the clinical services offered within the hospital.”

Macmillan has so far raised £1.8 million for the project and supporters have planned to raise a further £300,000 this year.