BREAST cancer patients will now get the best possible treatment and support without having to travel out of the county.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and national breast cancer support charity, The Haven, have announced plans for a Haven centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital later this year.

The new centre will enable people with breast cancer to benefit from free one-to-one emotional support and complementary therapies to help relieve the side-effects of treatment.

Worcestershire’s Haven will be the fifth in the country and the first to be located on a hospital site.

When announcing the partnership with The Haven, Harry Turner, trust chairman, said: “This is a really important development for us.

“With the support of The Haven we will be able to offer patients the highest quality medical and holistic support.”

Pamela Healy OBE, chief executive of The Haven, said: “This new partnership marks an important step-change for the charity as it will be the first time in our 15 year history that our integrated breast cancer support service will be available from an NHS site.

“Having the combination of core clinical breast cancer care services and complementary therapies in the one location is a unique model of care in the UK and has the potential for replication across the country.”

As well as helping people deal with their diagnosis and subsequent treatment, The Haven also offers support to close family members and friends.

Its aim is to offer relief to the side-effects of breast cancer treatment and to help with dealing with the emotional impact of a diagnosis.