Many cancer patients in Greater Manchester and Cheshire travel less far for their life-saving treatments thanks to a network of local centres, and treatment at home, developed by Manchester’s internationally acclaimed cancer centre, The Christie.
Analysis produced by the Clinical Outcomes and Data Unit at The Christie shows that in the past year, at least 56,207 appointments took place in The Christie’s network of 13 local treatment centres, or at the patient’s home, rather than at the hospital’s Withington site in South Manchester.
Since 2010, The Christie has actively developed new treatment centres and locations for cancer patients to have appointments and treatments closer to home.
The first of these centres was The Christie at Oldham, which opened in 2010 and provides around 17,500 radiotherapy treatments a year. The Christie at Macclesfield was the most recent centre to open, which provides around 32,000 appointments a year, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, haematology, and outpatient appointments.
The network of local treatment centres means that patients travelled 1,721,037 fewer miles last year compared with the distance they would have travelled if their appointments had been at the hospital’s Withington site. That is the same distance as travelling around the world 69 times or seven trips to the moon.
On average, each patient using a local Christie treatment centre saves 30 miles per round trip for each appointment.
Not only are the local treatment centres more convenient and less stressful to reach, but they also save patients time and are better for the environment.
On average, each patient using one of the 13 centres saves at least 45 minutes per appointment in travel time. That’s a whopping 42,785 hours saved annually – nearly five years for one person.
The shorter distances being travelled also mean patients spend less money getting to appointments. Patients saved in the region of £258,154 in the past year, based on the extra fuel costs they would have incurred if they had needed to travel to Withington by car for their appointments rather than a local Christie treatment centre.
The environmental benefits of shorter journeys mean carbon emissions are reduced by around 363,482kg of CO2 each year.
Michael Bowe, age 68, from Milnrow in Rochdale, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. After initial surgery, the cancer returned, and Michael needed radiotherapy, which he received at The Christie at Oldham. He said: “It was so much easier for me to have my radiotherapy in Oldham rather than travelling to Withington. “I don’t drive, and the time saved meant I could spend more time with my family and friends, doing the things I love.
“I knew I was still getting the same quality of care as I would from The Christie in Withington; it was just much more convenient, and when you have cancer and feel unwell, that makes a huge difference. The Christie team in Oldham is magnificent.”
Claire Adams, Interim Associate Chief Nurse for Clinical Networked Services at The Christie, said: “When we talk to our patients, they tell us they want to receive the best possible care from The Christie but sometimes struggle with the travel to our Withington site. That’s why, since 2010, we have developed a network of 13 local treatment centres and locations for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy and outpatient appointments, and nurse-led at-home services for eligible patients.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to make it easier for patients to access appointments and treatment, which we know reduces their anxiety, saves them money on transport and is also good for the environment.
