New Therapeutic Apheresis Services Unit opens at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool
New unit opened at state-of-the-art cancer centre in Liverpool.
NHS Blood and Transplant has opened a new Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) unit within the state-of-the-art cancer centre in Liverpool.
The new sat
ellie unit at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre will enable patients to receive all cancer treatments under one roof.
Patients will receive Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) and Stem Cell Procedure (PBSC) at the TAS unit, providing continuity of care and more treatment closer to home.
One of the first patients to be treated at the unit, Paul, attended for a Stem Cell Procedure.
Paul explains: “Having everything in one place means once I have had my stem cell transplant I can come back to the unit and see the same people as before, who have been helping me to get through this awful time since day one.
“The staff have been very professional and attentive. Everyone has been amazing from start to finish – thank you so much for everything.”
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust’s new hospital in Liverpool opened in June this year with the aim of delivering specialist care to the 2.4 million people in Cheshire and Merseyside, a region where people are more likely to develop cancer than almost anywhere else in the country.
Clare Harrop, Lead TAS Nurse for Liverpool at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “All NHS patients deserve the best possible care – this new unit is an important step forward in the provision of world-leading cancer treatment for seriously ill patients in Liverpool and the surrounding areas. By combining local cancer services to include the two main blood treatments we hope patients can cut out unnecessary extra travel while also staying under the care of the same team from start-to-finish.
“We hope this will make things a little easier for patients, particularly for those who are going through the most difficult of times.”
Liz Furmedge, General Manager of Haemato-Oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Stem cell transplants are a really important part of the care we provide for people with blood cancers. We have always worked closely with NHSBT but it’s fantastic now having the apheresis unit on site and dedicated to cancer care. It makes a world of difference for patients.”