Monnery and Noor-ul-ain Tariq (together in the centre)
and Sheena Khanduri (right, front row)
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has been recognised by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) as an ESMO Designated Centre of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care.
ESMO Designated Centre status is only awarded to hospitals that achieve rigorous standards demonstrating that their specialist cancer care and palliative care services work together as one to support patients in a highly-integrated way.
This is an area in which The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has an outstanding reputation, both for the quality of its clinical care and for its forward-thinking approach, research and innovation.
Clatterbridge’s palliative care team are national leaders in palliative and enhanced supportive care, which focuses on the patient’s own wishes and on early intervention to manage and minimise pain, treatment side-effects and complications of cancer.
Other innovations include a specialist palliative radiotherapy service, led by a consultant radiographer.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has also led the way nationally on the development of specialist acute oncology services supporting people with cancer who need urgent and emergency care.
Clatterbridge pioneered the UK’s first specialist immunotherapy toxicity management service supporting patients with complications from these novel cancer treatments.
It was also the first UK hospital to offer cancer treatment at home, delivered by specially-trained chemotherapy nurses, a model that has since been adopted in other regions.
Consultant in Palliative Medicine Dr Dan Monnery, who co-led the submission for ESMO Designated Centre accreditation, said:
We are incredibly proud to have been recognised as an ESMO Designated Centre. Palliative care is absolutely essential in providing excellent cancer care, helping patients to manage pain, side-effects and complications of cancer and supporting them to have the best possible quality of life.
Consultant Medical Oncologist Dr Noor-ul-ain Tariq, who also led the submission, said:
This means The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is internationally recognised for the integrated nature of oncology and palliative care, benefiting our patients. As a specialist centre that values inclusion, we welcome trainees and specialists from across Europe interested in developing experience with our teams.
Dr Sheena Khanduri, Medical Director of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said:
Achieving ESMO Designated Centre status is a mark of excellence and a real tribute to the dedication and expertise of our clinical teams. They work together every step of the way to make sure patients who will benefit from specialist palliative care support get the care they need.
The ESMO Designated Centre programme aims to benefit patient care and improve research, education and clinical practice by setting standards for clinical services.
©European Society for Medical Oncology
