CANCER sufferers will be given bedside televisions and computer access as they battle the disease in hospital.

They are the first group to benefit from a new entertainment system being developed at the new hospitals currently taking shape in North Staffordshire.

Some pregnant women and new mums will also receive the new service, which breaks away from the traditional single television at one end of a ward for all its patients.

But unlike at hospitals in other cities, NHS bosses have decided against charging patients for the privilege of switching on.

The move is part of North Staffordshire's £400 million superhospital, which will transform facilities into the most state-of the-art in the UK.

Discussions are already at an advanced stage to bring the service, including Freeview channels, to the first phase of the re-development – the £70 million cancer centre, below, and maternity unit which opened last summer at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

And they will continue ready for the completion of the rest of the scheme on the City General site in two years' time.

It will mean that instead of having to watch a communal television, often tuned to channels many patients don't want to watch, people will be given headphones to enjoy their favourite programmes without disturbing others.

And a basic computer terminal will allow patients to log on and access the internet. This service is also free.

The complex will not follow other centres by adding phone lines to the package, as most people have their own mobiles and restrictions on using them have now been lifted.

Fiona Jones, left, of the hospital's Fit For The Future project, said: "The system will be going into in-patient wards at the cancer centre and to some parts of the maternity unit.

"The screens will probably be placed in the arms of bedside chairs and resemble those in aeroplanes, but with bigger screens. We recognise that people being treated for cancer, in particular, need a diversion to take their mind off what is happening to them and that can even help in their recovery.

"That is not the same so much in maternity, but we are still looking at putting the system in some areas there.

"We are not going down the road of charging fees, as where that has happened elsewhere, patients have been uncomfortable with having to pay and that model is falling apart.

"We wouldn't be looking at including a Sky package, but Freeview will be available.

"The system will overcome the problem of a communal television being left on at high volumes on wards where some patients just want a bit of peace and quiet."

Funding for the scheme has yet to be finalised but could come from a mixture of NHS budgets and the hospital's charitable trust funds.

Former breast cancer patient Sue Powell, of Meir Park, who founded the Emotions support group, said: "This is a great idea. Many cancer patients are absolutely devastated and get depressed as they go through treatment, so personal TVs will help take their minds off things.

"Having bedside computer links will also be a big help as patients will be able to keep in touch with the outside world."