Breast cancer centre to offer same-day results

A new breast cancer centre opened today with the latest technology to offer screening and results on the same day.

The £13million centre is a refurbishment of the Grade I listed West Wing at Barts hospital in the city.

Mr Robert Carpenter, consultant breast surgeon at Barts and The London NHS Trust, said the centre would be "world-leading", adding: "Bart's has one of the best teams in the country but we have been working in a Forties environment with clinics and mammography machines scattered around the hospital.

"We wanted to match the skills of the doctors and nurses with a new environment that tries to minimisethe impact of a diagnosis and is respectful. We have taken the best of what is available around the world and brought it together under one roof."

Patients asked for an environment that made them feel " anywhere but here".

Vital Arts, the trust's arts project, worked with clinicians and patients to make the building as sympathetic as possible, and seven artists have created new works specifically for the site.

Other facilities include:

Patient Margaret Hazard, from the Bart's Breast Care Patient Support Group, said: "All the members of the patient support group have commented on how important little details are when you're in such a stressful situation.

"We hope that our ideas will make the process that little bit easier for future patients."