Nurses at a private hospital in Oxford have transformed cancer facilities so patients can offer each other support while fighting their illnesses.

A corridor at the Acland Hospital, in Banbury Road, has been turned into an outpatient chemotherapy suite.

Two bedrooms have become sitting rooms with recliner chairs, where about six patients visit every day for care.

Chemotherapy is a treatment using poisonous drugs to reduce or kill off cancer, and the team of nurses makes an effort to link up patients with similar diseases.

Specialist oncology nurse Shirley Fisher said: "To begin with, we were a bit worried that a few of the patients we had cared for for a long time wouldn't fit in, because they'd been used to having their own room during chemotherapy treatment.

"But in fact they were pleasantly surprised and liked talking to other people.

"Now we try to match up similar patients. If we know a new patient has a similar diagnosis to someone who has had cancer for a while, we put them together in the sitting room for support."

The Acland Hospital is today (May 1) holding an open afternoon between 3pm and 5pm, for anyone who would like to look round the oncology suite, where staff will be on hand to answer questions.