WORK has begun on a refurbishment of the haematology and oncology day unit at Airedale Hospital.

The £175,000 scheme will include the transformation of an underused area into an additional treatment room.

And all the existing treatment rooms on the unit will receive upgraded technology in readiness for electronic patient records.

Also, new chairs will help ensure patients are as comfortable as possible when undergoing chemotherapy.

The work, which is expected to take 16 weeks to complete, is being funded by Airedale Hospital & Community Charity – through donations from the community and patients.

Hospital bosses say haematology and oncology provision will be maintained throughout, but they warn there will be some noise and disruption.

"We want to assure all current and future patients that the unit will remain safe for them to attend during the refurbishment period and we will be offering additional services on our mobile cancer units – with extended opening hours in the community," said a spokesperson.

Patients provided input during the planning of the refurbishment, sharing ideas for colour schemes, the style of furniture and wall murals.

Nicola Denbow, matron for integrated care at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our patients spend a lot of time on the unit at a really difficult period of their life, so it’s really important that we create an uplifting and calming environment. The refurbished unit will be contemporary, clutter free and really comfortable. The equipment we are providing is pioneering; it’s going to be a real transformation, for our patients and staff."

She added: "The number of chemotherapy administrations we give has increased significantly in the last 12 months and we know that nationally, the number of people diagnosed with cancer will increase in the next three to five years. By undertaking this refurbishment, we are ensuring that our unit is fit for purpose so that we can meet the needs of our population."

Jodie Hearnshaw, Airedale Hospital & Community Charity manager, said: "Cancer impacts all of us – we all know someone who goes through it, either as family or friends – and so we are really happy to support this new unit with the help of our amazing community.

"We’d love people to keep donating so we can continue to make improvements, even after this current work has finished."

Anyone wishing to donate towards the upgrade of the unit can do so by going to airedalecharity.org/donate-to-one-of-our-appeals.