New era for blood cancer services in Liverpool & North Mersey
Posted 1st February 2022
Blood cancer specialists from two Merseyside hospital trusts are combining their expertise from today (1st February 2022) to deliver a new specialist Haemato-Oncology service – led by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust – for people living in Sefton, Knowsley, north Liverpool and West Lancashire.
From today (1st February), the Haemato-Oncology (H-O) teams at Aintree University Hospital and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre will be one team delivering a new integrated service for people with suspected or confirmed blood cancers such as leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas, and some related conditions.
Blood cancer care will continue to be provided at Aintree University Hospital and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s flagship hospital in central Liverpool (Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool). Patients who are currently cared for at Aintree University Hospital will still be seen and treated there; those who are cared for at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool will continue being seen and treated there.
The new, combined Haemato-Oncology service has been developed because care has become increasingly specialist as researchers learn more about what causes blood cancers and the best ways of treating each patient.
Last summer we asked patients, carers and others with experience of local blood cancer services for their views on whether the Aintree University Hospital team should combine their expertise with colleagues in The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
People overwhelmingly agreed it was the right thing to do and the proposals have now been approved by the local NHS bodies that commission blood cancer services for people in Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley and West Lancashire, as well as the two hospitals.
Bringing the Haemato-Oncology teams at Aintree University Hospital and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool together in this way means both hospitals can continue to offer the very best care as new, more complex treatments emerge.
It also means that in time we will be able to offer a wider range of treatments, clinical trials and support services that are usually only available in bigger hospitals with more blood cancer patients and staff.
If your care is at Aintree University Hospital
- You should now have received a letter from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre with details of your next appointment and this information about the new service.
- You will still be seen and treated at Aintree University Hospital and will be cared for by the same team, along with some new faces.
- Chemotherapy and related treatments will be in the Marina Dalglish Centre at Aintree University Hospital, rather than the Phoenix Day Unit. The Marina Dalglish Centre is a dedicated standalone cancer unit, located at Entrance E Level 5. (Entrance E is next to the Diabetes Centre.)
- Letters and appointments will come from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre rather than Liverpool University Hospitals. You will have access to a wide range of support from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s staff, including their Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) – ccf-tr.pals@nhs.net
- Over time, you will have access to a wider range of treatments and clinical trials that are usually only available in larger hospitals with larger blood cancer teams.
- This information leaflet explains more about the new service, what’s staying the same and some minor changes.
If your care is at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool
- There are no changes to the service you receive.
- Over time, you will have access to a wider range of treatments and clinical trials that are usually only available in larger hospitals with larger blood cancer teams.
