A BREAST imaging unit is set to open at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre this month in a hope to improve the experience of hundreds of patients a week.

The unit will allow more than 200 women a week, who currently receive breast screening at Kidderminster to have shorter waiting times, improved privacy and reduced stress while receiving their treatment.

Once opened, the unit will house a new ultrasound machine – which was brought with funds donated by the Kidderminster League of Friends – together with a state-of-the-art digital mammography unit within a newly refurbished suite of rooms.

The suite of rooms is expected to improve the experience for breast screening patients who previously received their screening in a mobile van on site and will also enable breast surgery to take place in Kidderminster.

With the addition of the mammogram machines, patients will also be able to receive stereo biopsies – a procedure that uses computer and imagining equipment to take a tissue for sample testing – which have previously not been available at the hospital.

The unit will be staffed by a team from breast imaging departments across Worcestershire along with a team of breast consultants including a newly appointed consultant radiologist.

Dr Penny Haggett, consultant breast radiologist, said: “This new unit will vastly improve the experience of patients at Kidderminster.

“Previously we have had limited use of the ultrasound machine in the x-ray department which is in high demand for all types of examination.

“By having our own machines, it allows us to screen more women and give them a less stressful experience.”

The unit is due to open on Tuesday, October 20, but the team are still looking for donations to help decorate the walls of the suite with pictures.

If you would like to donate any pictures or help the decoration, contact Debbie Fox on 01527 488055.