CANtreat – Initial Appeal
Over recent months CANtreat has been meeting health officials and senior management from the North-west region to see where the charity’s funds could be put to best use.
To achieve the aims of the charity the suggestion of improving the oncology centre at Halton hospital was suggested.
From this, further meetings have taken place and pending local government approval, CANtreat will fund the expansion and improvement to create a new fully functioning 5 day-a-week oncology unit at the hospital.
One reason behind choosing Halton as the site for CANtreat’s initial project is due to the personal ties that the charity has to the North Cheshire Cancer Network as this is where Andrew received his treatment.
It was also chosen due to reasons given below describing the current situation in the area.
CANtreat and the North Cheshire Primary Care Trust
The need for CANtreat support
All of the following factors are putting increasing strain on the services delivering chemotherapy; Increased cancer incidence, earlier diagnosis, increasing number of therapies for recurring cancers, increasing target treatments for common cancers.
The present situation in North Cheshire
The Chemotherapy service at Warrington is delivered in a small, cramped clinic designed as an outpatient orthopedic clinic for only ˝ a day a week.
The hospital itself has little room for expansion on its entire site.
The lack of room at the hospital is evident by the lack of parking space for patients and visitors.
At Halton there is a one-day-a-week clinic in a modern building which is used for various clinics on other days.
Treatments are delivered by a team of nurses visiting from the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology.
Patients who are unable to be treated within the limitations of these clinics have to travel 20-35 miles to Clatterbridge to receive their treatment.
The future
A new unit at Halton will become the focus for cancer care within the North Cheshire Trust.
This new centre will provide:
- Daycase chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other cancer related treatment on a 5 day a week basis
- Outpatient cancer clinics; oncology, haemotology, and palliative care
- A cancer information centre for patients and families
- A meeting place for cancer related groups; all types of cancer support groups as well as specialist oncologist meetings for doctors from the region
- A base for the administrative management of cancer services with the North Cheshire Trust
The difference that this new centre would make to chemotherapy administration in the area cannot be exaggerated, it really would be huge a step forward for the area and give patients the care and environment that they deserve at such a time.
