THE recently-opened radiotherapy unit and private patients’ unit at Basingstoke hospital have been commended by a panel of architects.

The units, which are separate but linked, beat more than 100 other entries to be one of six schemes shortlisted for the award for Best Acute Hospital Development at the Building Better Healthcare Awards.

As previously reported in The Gazette, the radiotherapy unit was opened by broadcaster Clare Balding last May.

It primarily treats patients with breast and prostate cancer, and houses a £2million linear accelerator, used in the delivery of radiotherapy, and a radiotherapy planning CT scanner, which uses laser positioning to enable the treatment to be delivered with pinpoint accuracy.

The development has a double-height entrance with views of the outside and themed internal courtyards, and the radiotherapy unit and private patients’ unit, the Candover Clinic, are connected via a walkway.

The judges said of the building: “This is a development with nice proportions, which retains a lightness and a human scale.”

Mary Edwards, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said: “The patient environment is very important to a patient’s overall experience, and this award shows that when given the opportunity, we can create calming and effective spaces based on patient feedback.”