GROUPS representing cancer patients and their carers have joined forces to back a bid to bring radiotherapy services into the county.

The Arden Cancer Network User Group - Redditch and Bromsgrove branch - is among those who have pledged to work together to lobby health chiefs, MPs and other influential groups to win support for the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust bid.

The trust hopes to secure millions of pounds in central funding to build a satellite radiotherapy unit. If successful, the development would save thousands of cancer patients from having to make gruelling journeys to hospitals outside the county to receive lifesaving treatment.

Geoff Palmer, spokesman for the united patient groups, said: "We are supporting this bid on behalf of all those patients who currently have to travel from their homes in Worcestershire to Cheltenham, Coventry or Wolverhampton for radiotherapy - sometimes several times a week for many weeks.

"These journeys are made at a time when patients may be unwell and extremely tired and make the whole experience far more stressful.

"We have been lobbying for some time to have out-patient treatments delivered as close to home as is practicable. This is a great opportunity for Worcestershire and every resident should support this bid for local radiotherapy. It is anticipated that the money for this development will be available from central funds.

"We have met with the trust's cancer team and, having heard what they had to say, we are prepared to lobby our local MPs, the government's cancer tsar - Professor Mike Richards - and anyone else who might be able to help the Worcestershire bid succeed. We know that the trust is facing some serious financial challenges at the moment, but opportunities like this do not come along very often and we are impressed by their commitment to improve services for cancer patients and their determination not to lose out to other trusts which may decide to bid for this funding as well."