A NEW £500,000 teenage cancer unit is going to be built at a Southampton hospital.

The new six-bed unit at Southampton General Hospital will be built by the Teenage Cancer Trust, which will be launching an appeal this year to raise the money needed to fund the project.

Louise Hooker, lead cancer nurse at Southampton General, said: "This is a very exciting time for teenage and young adult (TYA) cancer care at SUHT.

"We have been working in collaboration with SUHT staff and cancer charities to develop plans for a cancer service to provide age-appropriate care and support for this group of patients, their families and friends.

"We are also working with Teenage Cancer Trust to improve the hospital environment. The first stage will be designated beds in cancer care wards.

"A state-of-the-art young adult unit is also included in the plans for the Southampton Cancer Care PFI scheme."

Other plans for teenage and young adult cancer care at Southampton General include appointing a Macmillan lead nurse and a specialist TYA cancer support team, to include a CLIC Sargent youth worker, social worker and specialist nurse.

Louise added: "With funding from Wessex Cancer Trust, this summer SUHT will be taking part in an exciting video/DVD/website project.

"Apart from offering the young people an opportunity to share their experiences, we hope this project will help us involve them in our plans by giving them a say in how we develop services to meet their needs."