Ready for action

DELIGHTED . . . Julie Davies, lead radiographer at the new centre

Cancer centre set to launch

Christie Hospital’s pioneering new £17m radiotherapy centre will open its doors to patients at the Royal Oldham next month.

The new facility will launch only 12 months after the Chronicle’s £100,000 Christie’s at Oldham appeal began and signals a mammoth step forward in cancer care for the borough.

Now, readers who helped make it happen are being invited to take a look around the hi-tech unit before treatment gets started.

The Chronicle teamed up with the world-famous Christie Hospital for the appeal on March 11, last year.

Generous Oldhamers responded with such drive and enthusiasm, the appeal hit its target in an amazing seven months — five months ahead of schedule.

Housing two state-of-the art radiotherapy machines, known as linear accelerators, 70 patients will be treated every day.

The first treatment will take place in the week beginning March 15.

Head of the centre, lead radiographer Julie Davies, said: “It has been fascinating to see each stage of the centre’s progress, from the early plans to watching it take shape.

“I am delighted that this superb radiotherapy centre will open its doors to patients in March. In a few short weeks, experts from The Christie will begin to treat cancer patients from this area much closer to their homes and that will make a real difference.”

Julie lives in Saddleworth with her husband, Alan, and has worked at the Christie Hospital for 20 years.

She is one of the UK’s leading experts in image-guided radiotherapy, which allows the radiographer to precisely locate and deliver treatment.

And she runs training courses on image-guided radiotherapy in hospitals throughout the country.

Its use is still limited both in the UK and worldwide, but Julie’s experience is second to none, having worked with it since the day it was introduced at The Christie, in 2003.

Anyone who would like to take a behind-the-scenes look at the radiotherapy centre they helped bring to Oldham can do so at the March 13 open day between 11am and 3pm.

Visitors will get the opportunity to see demonstrations of the two £1.3 million radiotherapy machines and other state-of-the-art equipment.

The Oldham centre is the first radiotherapy facility of its kind in the country.