HCA opens cancer clinic in NHS unit
By Leslie Berry
HCA Healthcare UK has opened the doors to its latest investment in complex cancer care: a £26m specialist complex haematology and oncology unit at University College Hospital (UCH), London.
Associate medical director Dr Panos Kottaridis (right) and his team at UCH
The investment is part of a longstanding partnership with UCH, where it has provided private patient care since 2006.
It sees the transfer and expansion of inpatient capability into a specially designed 43-bed unit in the new Grafton Way building.
The hospital group said its expansion at UCH will enable access to inpatient clinical trials delivered via its UK’s research arm, Sarah Canon Research Institute UK.
Features at the new unit include:
An eight-bed, HEPA-filtered advanced cellular therapy unit – the optimal clinical environment for highly specialised treatments such as CAR-T cell therapy;
A JACIE-accredited haematopoietic stem cell transplant unit for bone marrow transplants;
Direct access to a ten-bed haematology oncology specialist consultant-led intensive treatment unit for patients with complex needs;
Inpatient rooms with positive pressure lobbies to minimise the risk of infection for immunocompromised patients;
A dedicated isolation unit which means patients with transmissible infections can continue to be cared for within the unit safely.
Day care and outpatient services for private patients will continue to be delivered at the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre.
Claire Smith, chief executive of HCA UK NHS Joint Ventures, said: ‘This is another important milestone in our longstanding partnerships with the NHS, building on the 2021 investment in our theatres at The Christie Private Care and looking ahead to our exciting new development with University Hospitals Birmingham.’
The hospital group’s president and chief executive, John Reay, said: ‘This £26m investment into HCA UK at UCH is part of our wider commitment to ensuring that across our healthcare system we are providing the complete pathway for cancer patients, from diagnostics through to the most specialist treatment and holistic care.
‘This depth and breadth of care, unmatched in the independent sector, attracts patients to us from across the world.’
Dr Panos Kottaridis, consultant haematologist and associate medical director at HCA UK at UCH, added: ‘The new 43-bed inpatient unit at HCA UK at UCH brings together the very latest advances in treatment and technology, with outstanding levels of expertise and care, making it the optimal environment to care for patients with complex cancer and haematology conditions.’