Have your say on proposals to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to a new world class facility at Watford General Hospital

With plans already approved for a new Watford General Hospital, this proposal, if approved after the consultation, would add world class cancer services to the site, creating a centre of excellence in Watford.

Local services will also be expanded as part of the proposals:

• Increased availability of chemotherapy at home for eligible patients.
• More diagnostic services and blood tests at local hospitals.
• A new chemotherapy unit at Hillingdon Hospital and expanded chemotherapy services at Northwick Park Hospital.
• An additional radiotherapy unit at either Lister Hospital (Stevenage) or Luton & Dunstable Hospital to reduce travel times for patients in the north

Simon Wood, Programme Leader for NHS England in the East of England, said

Securing a future for Mount Vernon is great news for patients in the region. These proposals would enable us to bring together two brilliant services to create a world-class centre of excellence.

“We now want to hear from patients, staff and other interested stakeholders on what benefits, as well as what challenges, this proposal may bring.“

Modern cancer care increasingly relies on the support of a range of on-site medical and surgical services, including Accident and Emergency and critical care. Therefore the new, purpose-built cancer centre would provide all of that essential access in modern facilities, along with more space for innovation, research and training. It would continue to serve patients across Hertfordshire, north west London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and east Berkshire.

The proposals for Mount Vernon Cancer Centre have been drawn up over the last few years with the help of patients and staff following an independent review that found specialised cancer services would not be able to continue at the existing site. The lack of other key support services has limited the number of patients the centre can treat and has led to some trials and treatments no longer being offered to patients.

Extending the scope of the redevelopment of Watford General Hospital to include the cancer centre means efficiencies could be made through joint construction, project and other arrangements to reduce the individual cost of both hospitals and thereby deliver the extended scope without increasing the overall cost to taxpayers.

Subject to the outcome of consultation and satisfactory completion of the necessary due diligence, the management of the services provided by Mount Vernon Cancer Centre would transfer from East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust to University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH)