One month left to have your say on major proposals for cancer care in Merseyside & Cheshire

Posted 17th September 2014

People in Merseyside and Cheshire have just over a month left to have their say in a public consultation on major proposals for expanding and improving cancer services before it ends on 19th October.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust – which specialises in groundbreaking cancer treatment and research and provides the cancer service in Merseyside, Cheshire and surrounding areas – wants to expand and give the most complex patients even better care.

The Transforming Cancer Care proposals include a £118m investment in developing a new specialist cancer hospital on the same site as the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the University of Liverpool, while retaining and refurbishing its existing Wirral site. The radiotherapy unit at Aintree and the chemotherapy and outpatient clinics across Merseyside and Cheshire would also continue.

Cancer experts say the new hospital would enable them to provide even better care as it would have on-site access to intensive care and other key specialties such as cardiology for the most complex and seriously unwell patients. This is increasingly important as people live longer and are more likely to develop cancer in addition to other long-term illnesses like heart, kidney, and lung disease. At the moment, patients who need these services have to be transferred by ambulance to other hospitals as they are not available on the Clatterbridge site.

It would also bring cancer services even closer to the majority of people in Merseyside and Cheshire. Around 63 per cent of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s current patients live closer to the Royal Liverpool site than the Wirral. At the moment, patients in places like Southport and Knowsley may have to travel to Wirral for some or all of their care. Radiotherapy would be available on three sites – Aintree, central Liverpool and Wirral – providing more choice to patients.

Importantly, experts from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre would also be able to carry out even more groundbreaking research and clinical trials through closer links with the university and other researchers, giving patients access to the latest and most advanced treatments. Having on-site access to intensive care and other specialties would also enable a wider range of clinical trials, including those where new treatments are being tried for the first time.

Under the proposals, inpatient beds, the teenage and young adult unit and the most complex care would move from Wirral to the new hospital in Liverpool where patients and staff would have on-site access to key specialties if they needed them. The Wirral site would continue to provide the majority of its current services and it’s expected that around 90 per cent of Wirral and West Cheshire patient attendances could continue to take place there.

Dr Nicky Thorp (pictured), Associate Medical Director of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “Merseyside and Cheshire has one of the highest rates of cancer in the country. More than one in three people develop cancer at some point so these proposals are something that could potentially affect all of us – either as a patient ourselves or a close friend or family member.

“We believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform cancer care by expanding our services to meet the growing demand for very specialist cancer care, while also enabling patients and staff to access the other services we need as we provide more complex treatments to people with much more complex long-term health issues.

“Absolutely critically, however, we need to hear what patients, the public and other key groups think. We’re particularly interested in people’s comments and suggestions and we will take that feedback on board. I would really encourage people to have their say by completing the consultation survey.”

The Transforming Cancer Care public consultation launched on 28th July and runs until 19th October. Full details of the proposals, a short film and the consultation documents and questionnaire are available at www.transformingcancercaremc.nhs.uk. People can contact the Consultation Team on 0151 296 7068 or engagement@cmcsu.nhs.uk.

Roadshow events are taking place across Merseyside and Cheshire so people can find out more and have their say. Please visit www.transformingcancercaremc.nhs.uk for the latest information.