Hatton, who raised the issue in the House of Commons, said the news that the service was returning was “very much the first big win”, but added: “There is more work to be done to push services back into our community hospitals.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, he said: “I think, both for patients who are living with cancer, but also for their loved ones as well, this can be one of the most difficult periods in their lives.

“Long and repeated journeys to receive chemo care is one of the things that can be really draining.

“When the clinic was closed, an estimated 60 or so patients were receiving care in Wareham and were then forced to go further up the road to receive their chemotherapy treatment.”

Hatton said patients, particularly in coastal areas, often travelled long distances to access care.

He said: “There’s a real sense of unfairness that many of these services were rolled away several years ago.

“By restoring the chemotherapy clinic, we are starting to reverse that.”

Wareham Hospital is run by Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust but the chemotherapy service on the site is run by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD).

Dorset HealthCare said no other service changes were due to take place at Wareham Hospital.

UHD has been contacted for a comment.