A new service for cancer patients who need emergency treatment has been launched at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals.

The acute oncology service is aimed at local people who are newly diagnosed or are experiencing serious complications as a result of the disease.

The aim is to help them access the care that they need faster and more efficiently than ever before.

As part of the new service, which costs more than £130,000 a year, two additional oncology consultants and two new cancer nurse specialists have been appointed.

Dr Lydia Jones is the lead consultant for cancer services at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. 

“This new way of working is the most significant development in cancer services at our hospitals for more than a decade, and will help us to deliver an even higher standard of care to local people who have cancer,” she said.

“Each year, more than 1,000 patients are diagnosed with cancer at our hospitals, and of those, we estimate that a quarter are first seen at our A&E departments. 

“The new acute oncology service provides an initial assessment to those patients, allowing us to speed up the time it takes to diagnose their cancer and, working with them, plan for their treatment. 

“Doing this will really improve the care patients receive and, and in severe circumstances, help us to save lives.”

Dr David Watkins and Dr Jaishree Bhosle, acute oncology consultants from the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, have joined the team at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals.

Dr Watkins said: “This new service provides cancer patients with ready access to oncology specialists, allowing treatment decisions to be made more rapidly - and improving the care of cancer patients in the local area.”