After years of battling to save the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, it looks like the tide is finally turning.

Nick Carver, chief executive of East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (ENH), which manages the centre, has given his assurances that the centre will stay at the hospital in Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, rather than move to Hertfordshire.

This announcement by Mr Carver was made at a recent meeting with Hillingdon's external services scrutiny committee.

Joan Davis, chairman of health pressure group the Community Voice, was at the meeting. The group has campaigned long and hard to keep the centre at Mount Vernon.

She said: "Having heard Nick Carver I am convinced that the future of the Cancer Centre is safer than it has been for 20 years.

"I do believe the tide has turned and I think the centre really is safe for some years ahead."

The threat of a move first reared its head in 2002, when a report suggested the possibility of rationalising and reorganising cancer care.

Many observers were angry at the added strain this would put on patients through the need to travel further for treatment, and questioned the wisdom of disrupting a high quality cancer care centre.

And there was further good news - the £1.43m chemotherapy trial centre is one step closer to being built.

Once approved, it will provide facilities for cancer patients involved in chemotherapy trials. It is expected to open next year.

Mrs Davis said: "I am delighted about the trial centre. The Community Voice has been involved right from the beginning and I was on the original planning group.

"It has the potential to make local services more accessible.

"I think it's a wonderful development and it puts Mount Vernon on the map."