Major refurbishment planned at The Christie’s in Oldham

The Christie’s radiotherapy centre in Oldham

The Christie’s radiotherapy centre in Oldham is to undergo a major refurbishment.

Starting in May, a team of Christie engineers will begin the complex task of replacing the two linear accelerators used to deliver life-saving radiotherapy treatment.

Since the centre opened in 2010, the machines have delivered more than 160,000 treatments and must now be replaced as part of a routine replacement programme to ensure patients benefit from the latest and safest technology and treatment techniques available.

The £6.3 million refurbishment will be carried out in a phased way to keep disruption to patients to an absolute minimum. The programme will take around 12 months to complete, one machine at a time, with the replacement of each machine taking around 6 months due to the complex nature of building the equipment and ensuring expert physicists carry out the necessary safety work before it is used to treat patients.

During the refurbishment, some patients with more complex tumours may need to receive their treatment at The Christie’s site in Withington. As much of their care as possible will still continue to be delivered locally in Oldham. Patients affected by the changes will be informed in advance and should continue to attend all appointments as normal unless advised otherwise.

Lead radiographer Julie Davies explained: “Our radiotherapy centre in Oldham has been a real success story, but now we have been open 12 years, we have reached the stage where we need to think about replacing the machines. "We’re delighted this refurbishment is getting underway as it will mean our patients will benefit hugely from advances in technology, but it does mean we will face some disruption over the coming months that is unavoidable. We are doing our absolute best to ensure patients are not inconvenienced but it is inevitable that some may need to have their treatment elsewhere.”

The Christie at Oldham was the first in a unique network of Christie radiotherapy centres allowing thousands of patients to be treated closer to home. The centre, which was opened in March 2010, cost £17m and was funded after the generous people of Oldham and surrounding areas supported a major fundraising campaign by The Christie charity to bring the first facility of its kind in the UK to The Royal Oldham Hospital.

Previously patients across Greater Manchester could only access radiotherapy at The Christie’s site in South Manchester. Opening in a blaze of glory with a visit from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the centre has gone on to deliver more than 160,000 patient treatments, saving thousands of patients a three-hour round trip for daily treatment for up to six weeks at a time.