The Royal United Hospitals (RUH) has been granted full planning permission to build a new Dyson Cancer Centre.

Schedule to open in 2023, the new centre will be located next to the RUH’s main entrance and will bring most the hospitals’ cancer services, including the research teams, under one roof.

James Scott, RUH chief executive said: “On behalf of the community we serve, we’re delighted to reach this significant milestone.

“Our new world-class Centre will help transform the care we provide for patients, families and carers and provide a nurturing and therapeutic environment, reducing stress and anxiety and promoting health.

“It’s taken a huge amount of planning and preparation, working with staff and patients and our partners to get to this point.”

Caroline Gilleece, RUH matron and cancer lead nurse said: “We are really excited by what the future holds.

“This will be more than just a building, it will be a therapeutic environment centred on patient care and experience, which will also provide a fantastic place to work, so we can retain our dedicated staff and attract the very best to join us.”

Macmillan Cancer Support is investing £1.5m to create a new patient support centre called the Macmillan Wellbeing Hub, which will be at the heart of the new centre.

Work on the site will begin in 2021 following the demolition of the old Therapies block later this year.

Maggie Crowe, Macmillan Partnership manager said: “I’m thrilled to hear we are now are one step closer to opening the doors of our new purpose-built Macmillan Wellbeing Hub.

“It will be a sanctuary for patients and their families inside the Dyson Cancer Centre.

“It will offer vital support as they go through treatment including counselling, a complementary therapy suite and overnight accommodation so that families can stay close to their loved ones.”

In the last decade, the RUH has invested heavily in its estate and infrastructure and delivered a range of new facilities, including the award-winning Dyson Neonatal Care Unit, a new pharmacy at the heart of the hospital and the recent RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre.

Further demolition and landscaping work to create a ‘green heart’, a purpose-designed garden area for the hospital, will take place once the Dyson Cancer Centre is open.