Breast Cancer Institute

When Udi Chetty, the leading breast surgeon at the Edinburgh Breast Unit and co-founder of the Breast Cancer Institute, was asked by Walk the Walk to collate his wish list of what he considered to be the projects that needed funding, a make over of the Breast Unit in-patient ward was high on the agenda.  It was Mr Chetty’s vision to create a ward that would provide patients with the comfort, space and privacy that they deserved.

The importance of the healing environment is well known, so it was felt that this was something that Walk the Walk could support straight away.  Following Walk the Walk’s commitment of £500,000 to the Breast Cancer Institute to support this project Mr Chetty was able to secure an additional commitment of £500,000 from NHS Lothian, ensuring that the refurbishment would result in a complete upgrading of facilities.  This would include the creation a new day bed area, provision of en-suite facilities for all rooms and the extension a balcony to afford patients access to the outdoors and a magnificent view of the Pentland Hills.  Work began on this project in August 2009 and will be complete in March 2010.

Mr Chetty approached Walk the Walk for a second time early in 2009 to request support for a project to build a second operating theatre at the Breast Unit.  Operating sessions for the breast unit are currently split between 2 theatres – one located in the Breast Unit the other in a different area of the hospital.  It was Mr Chetty’s hope that provision could be made to carry out all sessions within the Breast Unit thus preventing the need to transport patients across the hospital for their operations.  Walk the Walk again recognised the enormous patient benefit of this project and pledged a grant of £1.5M to make this a reality.  Work on this project will commence in spring 2010.  Thanks to Walk the Walk, The Breast Cancer Institute and NHS Lothian, by the end of 2010, the patient environment at the Edinburgh Breast Unit will be completely transformed.