First look inside Ipswich Hospital's new Breast Care Centre, which opens today

The culmination of over a year of work has reached its climax as a new state-of-the-art breast cancer department opens at a Suffolk hospital this month.

Costing around £5.3 million, Ipswich Hospital’s new Breast Care Centre, aims to bring all aspects of care under one roof.

Set to launch in stages, a small section where breast screening teams work opened today, with the imaging and clinic sections planned to open at the end of the month.

Hospital bosses set it up owing to the rising number of cases of breast cancer in the area, and no dedicated clinic to look after patients.

Its completion means patients will no longer have to walk back and forth between departments.

The project was funded through a partnership between East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) and Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals charity.

Its waiting area has painted murals, dedicated to towns in Suffolk, including Aldeburgh and Woodbridge.

Part of the funding was done through the Blossom Appeal, which raised money through charity fund-raising, such as the extreme abseil down the hospital’s maternity ward, or when metal flowers were placed at the hospital’s grounds in 2021.

Construction of the building finished in August, with the last tiles being placed by Trust executives.

ESNEFT has been approached for comment.