As previously reported last month on the development of the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, the centre was officially opened yesterday (29th June) in Liverpool – a region which is one of the worst affected nationally by the disease.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool (CCC-L) has 11 storeys and will deliver highly specialised care.
The type of care the centre will provide includes pioneering immunotherapy and the most advanced forms of radiotherapy.
The centre serves 2.4 million people in Cheshire and Merseyside as well as those in surrounding areas.
The hospital is part of a £162million investment in expanding and transforming cancer services across Cheshire and Merseyside.
This region is where people are more likely to develop the disease than almost anywhere else in the country.
As people live longer, the expansion of cancer services ensures the NHS is well-placed to meet demand growth.
The centre will also support the resumption of normal clinical activity post-Covid-19.
Shorter journey times are being enabled from those living in Knowsley, which has the second highest incidence of cancer in the country.
Cheshire and Merseyside have the third highest cancer incidence rate in England where deaths from cancer are 76% above the European average.
Journey times are also significantly reduced for 65% of those who live north of the Mersey.
The centre will bring together cancer experts from the NHS and the University of Liverpool on the same site, which will enhance opportunities for leading-edge research and clinical trials.
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 diagnostics and imaging, outpatients, daycase treatments, bone marrow transplant, a Teenage & Young Adult Unit, clinical therapies, and a wide range of cancer information and support.
The centre boasts 110 fully single en-suite bedrooms for patient privacy and infection risk reduction.
The centre has been designed with nature in mind where there is a winter garden on the lowest floor and outdoor terraces for patients to enjoy fresh air.
Tree and plant artwork are featured on every floor.
The new centre has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainability and was designed by leading global architects BDP who also designed Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
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 project 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, novel treatments and research together to improve outcomes and save lives in Cheshire and Merseyside at a time when one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime.
“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 by working together have made this happen.”
Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:
“The opening of this crucial facility will be of huge benefit to the people of the city region. This is especially good news in these current testing times when NHS resources have been so stretched dealing with coronavirus.
“It adds to our city region’s strengths in health and life sciences and is yet another world-leading asset for the growing Knowledge Quarter.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:
“The opening of the new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is fantastic news for Liverpool and the region, and for everyone who will receive world class treatment there.
“The building, the research and the care that will take place there is a tremendous boost to the city’s position as a world leader in medicine – and further underlines the growing international reputation of our multi-billion pound Knowledge Quarter, with the nearby Paddington Village also quickly taking shape.”
Paul McNerney, Director of UK Building at Laing O’Rourke, said:
“The opening of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool will enable our remarkable NHS to provide cancer patients from Liverpool and across the North West with the best possible care for many years to come.
“It is a world-class facility and I am incredibly proud of the workforce, sub-contractors and partners who delivered the final stages of it in challenging circumstances.
“It adds to our proud track record of delivering vital healthcare infrastructure in Liverpool, where we have previously constructed the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Aintree and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and also have a team delivering the new Royal.”
Ged Couser, Architect Principal at BDP, who was lead architect for the project, said:
“This highly glazed building will become a beacon for cancer care in Liverpool and the wider region. Its modern sophisticated external skin is a clear expression of the cutting-edge research and care taking place within.
“Even in its tight urban context the internal spaces will have access to high quality external landscape, recognising the therapeutic value this brings to patients.”
Richard Mann, AECOM UK & Ireland Healthcare and Science Sector Leader, who was project director for design engineering, said:
“The AECOM building engineering team is proud to have worked with the Trust from the initial design stage through to handover.
“The result of our work is a light and airy, energy-efficient and sustainable building, designed to put the wellbeing of patients and NHS staff first.”
