THE people of Worcestershire have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shape future improvements in cancer services as health bosses bring care closer to home.

A series of meetings are to be arranged at key milestones of the Worcestershire Oncology Project, which is working to develop a radiotherapy facility in Worcestershire by the end of 2013 and deliver almost all chemotherapy in the county.

No decision has yet been taken on where the new radiotherapy unit will go – at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester or the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

The oncology project board will be meeting on Wednesday, May 25, to form their recommendation to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS board on the preferred radiotherapy site.

The trust board will meet in public on Thursday, June 2, to make a final decision as to where the unit should go.

The first meeting of the stakeholder reference group is also scheduled to take place in Worcester on Thursday, June 2, between 6pm and 8pm.

That meeting will provide a chance to hear how the location of the new radiotherapy facility was chosen, as well as get an update from Mr Adel Makar, lead cancer clinician at the trust.

At the moment, patients have to travel out of county, often to Cheltenham or Wolverhampton, for radiotherapy.

The project is being led by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in partnership with University Hospitals Coventry, Warwickshire NHS Trust and NHS Worcestershire.

Rebecca Bourne, head of communications at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Although service users and other stakeholders are already involved at every level of the project, we are keen to ensure that the widest possible range of stakeholders is involved at key stages in the developments.

“These developments are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Worcestershire and we want to involve as many people as possible to ensure our patients get the best possible services.”

Members will be invited to regular project updates and asked for feedback as the proposals develop.

Mrs Bourne said: “We are also hoping that they will become project champions and be able to share the developments with their local communities.”

To register an interest, call Helen Perry on 01905 733874 or e-mail helen.

perry@worcestershire.nhs.

uk by Friday, May 20.