The sites will be converted to a breast centre of excellence to open in early 2026 thanks to a £16.6m investment from Barts Charity.

Professor Charles Knight, chief executive of St Bartholomew's Hospital, said: ‘We are enormously grateful to Barts Charity and Nuffield Health for helping us realise our ambition of creating a centre of excellence for breast cancer treatment and care.

‘As part of our hospital's 900th anniversary in 2023, we committed to improving outcomes for people with breast cancer in our local communities and this new facility is a major step in turning that vision into reality.'

Fiona Miller Smith, chief executive of Barts Charity, said: ‘Our investment of £16.6m in this new breast cancer centre will be a transformative moment for the health of people in East London.

‘The impact it will have on breast cancer patients will be huge, and it will also have a ripple effect throughout local health – reducing waiting times and freeing up vital resources for other patients.

‘We're once again proud to support Barts Health with this ambitious vision for the future of East London's health.'

Alex Perry, chief executive at Nuffield Heath, added: ‘This move will enable Barts Health to further enhance breast cancer services in East London and marks a positive conclusion to our partnership with the Trust.

‘The facility has already successfully treated thousands of NHS patients and we are pleased that it will continue to do so.'