Hazel to head proton treatment centre

Hazel Pennington

THE Christie has appointed a Failsworth radiographer to lead its revolutionary Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Manchester in 2018.

Hazel Pennington (40) trained more than 20 years ago was most recently the hospital’s radiotherapy education chief. One of her main roles is to make sure the proton therapy department links effectively with the hospital’s wider radiotherapy service.

The Christie in Withington is one of only two sites in the UK that will have a PBT centre. The £125 million centre will treat up to 750 patients a year at full capacity after opening four years from now.

Hazel said: “It’s particularly exciting to be involved with the proton beam centre

“PBT is new to me as it is to most radiographers in the UK, so I’m learning a huge amount. It’s incredible to be part of the team. I feel privileged to be involved.”

PBT is a precise form of radiotherapy able to more accurately target a tumour, sparing healthy tissue and reducing the likelihood of long-term side effects.

The treatment hit the headlines this month after the parents of five-year-old Ashya King, who has a brain tumour, sparked a police hunt when they removed him from Southampton Hospital to go to a Czech clinic for proton beam treatment.