Major new specialist cancer hospital to open in Liverpool

Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool

A major new specialist cancer hospital, which will significantly enhance opportunities for leading-edge cancer research at the University, is set to open in Liverpool on 27th June. Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool will deliver a wide range of highly-specialist cancer care including pioneering chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and radiotherapy.

The new hospital has state-of-the-art facilities for bone marrow transplant, diagnostics and imaging, outpatients, day case treatments, a Teenage & Young Adult Unit, clinical therapies, and a wide range of cancer information and support.

Being on site with Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the University’s main campus for biomedical research will have huge benefits for people with cancer, now and in the future. It will enhance care for the most complex patients – for example, those who have heart, lung and kidney conditions as well as cancer – by providing rapid access to medical and surgical specialties. Patients will also have access to leading-edge clinical trials of new cancer treatments.

The new hospital will become the main hub in The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust’s extensive network of treatment centres, including its Wirral and Aintree sites, hospitals across Cheshire and Merseyside and community settings including patients’ homes and workplaces.

COVID-19 and cancer care

The new hospital will also play a vital role in the second phase of the NHS response to coronavirus (COVID-19) by providing dedicated capacity for cancer care. CCC-L will ensure the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside is well placed to resume normal clinical activity by providing protected facilities for people with cancer, many of whom are particularly at risk if they catch coronavirus. It will also release capacity in other hospitals in the region.

The new cancer hospital has 110 fully-single en-suite patient bedrooms which will reduce the risk of catching coronavirus. This is important because people with cancer can be at greater risk of becoming extremely unwell from the virus. There are also special isolation facilities for patients whose immune systems mean they are particularly vulnerable to infection.

State-of-the-art facilities and pioneering cancer treatments

Dr Liz Bishop, Chief Executive of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool is the culmination of an eight-year vision for transforming cancer care in a region with one of the highest rates of cancer in the country. It brings state-of-the-art facilities and pioneering cancer treatments to Cheshire and Merseyside at a time when they are more vitally needed than ever.

“We are tremendously excited about opening Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool. It has been a huge labour of love and I would like to pay tribute to our staff, the Laing O’Rourke site team, our suppliers, subcontractors and all the partners who have helped to bring it to fruition.”

Taking cancer research in Liverpool ‘to the next level’

Recently the University announced the establishment of the Liverpool Cancer Research Institute (LCRI). At the heart of the endeavour is a partnership between the region’s three biggest stakeholders in cancer research, the University of Liverpool, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and North West Cancer Research.

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) has had many successes in the field of cancer biomedical research over the most part of the last two decades. Building on strong foundations and moving towards an altogether more integrated approach to fulfil the LCR’s true potential for biomedical and clinical cancer research, the Liverpool Cancer Research Institute provides a single organisational framework through which this change can happen as part of the Liverpool Health Partners Cancer Programme.

Professor Pettitt is the inaugural Director of LCRI, Ronald Finn Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Liverpool and until recently Head of Department for Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine. He is also an Honorary Consultant Haemato-oncologist and interim Associate Medical Director at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Director of the Liverpool Health Partners Cancer Programme and Chair of the National Cancer Research Institute Lymphoma Research Group.

Professor Pettitt, said: “The region has more than its fair share of cancer, and it is therefore crucial that we do everything we can as a cancer research community to make the biggest possible impact on the disease. The disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with cancer makes this all the more important and pressing.

“By bringing expert clinicians and scientists together in the same physical space with direct access to world-class research capability and infrastructure, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool will be pivotal in delivering the Liverpool Cancer Research Institute’s core aims of driving cross-disciplinary collaboration and translating research into patient benefit.”