Recite me link

A husband and wife from Maidstone who donated £355,000 to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), saw the life-saving cancer equipment they funded hard at work recently.

Following treatment at Maidstone Hospital last week, Roy Sutcliffe was shown the equipment by the Trust’s expert oncology and urology teams. The generous donation from Roy and his wife Margaret in 2018 was used to buy equipment for diagnosing and treating urological cancers, including two ultrasound machines used for biopsy and cancer treatment, a urodynamics machine, and an overhaul of surgical instruments used in urology.

The donation also enabled MTW to begin a ground-breaking procedure in 2019 using tiny gold markers to more accurately deliver radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Mr Sutcliffe, 91, who has previously been treated for bladder cancer at MTW, said: “Knowing the donation is helping my local hospital where I had my treatment, with the people that gave me my treatment, and seeing it is everlasting for them and benefiting other patients is very emotional.”

“I really wanted to make this donation and see it in action and that is what I’ve been able to do.”

Consultant Urological Surgeon at MTW, Mr Hide Yamamoto, said: “It was a great honour to welcome Mr Sutcliffe back to MTW and showcase some of the equipment funded by the incredible donation from him and his family.

“The donation from the Sutcliffe’s has made a significant difference to improving the care of patients with urological cancers in the entire region and continues to enable us to provide world-class diagnostics and treatment.

“On behalf of the entire organisation, we would like to once again say thank you for their outstanding support.”

MTW’s Kent Oncology Centre provides cancer services to around 1.8 million people across Kent, Medway and East Sussex.