STAFF at a Winchester hospital are preparing for a Royal visitor this week.

The Countess of Wessex is visiting to open a new facility at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital on Friday April 24 at 2pm.

The North and Mid Hampshire Breast Screening Unit in Florence Portal House will replace outdated accommodation on another part of the site.

The unit, which sees around 4,000 patients a year, was previously housed in temporary huts, more than 40 years old.

Mike Gretton, chairman of Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are honoured that the countess is coming to open the new unit. I am sure she will be impressed by the facility and the dedication of the staff who work there.”

The move means that Florence Portal House is now the centre for all women’s services at the hospital, as the rest of the building houses maternity, gynaecology and obstetrics.

As well as being a perfect fit with the other services, moving the breast screening unit has also allowed for an additional suite to be built and equipped with a new mammography machine, costing more than £60,000.

This expansion will be very much needed when a greater age range of the female population are screened. The current age range is 50-70 but will soon be extended to 47-73.