HEALTH chiefs have welcomed plans to open a state-of-the-art cancer centre in east Cheshire – and are hoping residents can get behind the fundraising efforts.

The Christie Charity launched an appeal last week to raise £23 million for a new cancer centre in the grounds of Macclesfield District General Hospital.

It would mean that the renowned specialist cancer care of The Christie, in Manchester, would be available more locally for patients in east Cheshire, north Staffordshire and the High Peak.

At Wednesday’s NHS Eastern Cheshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) governing body meeting, members supported the plans – and called on the community to rally behind the cause.

Clare Watson, accountable officer, said: “I think that’s really positive for the population of Cheshire East, not just Macclesfield. It is about bringing those services to the local area.

“We have to aim for it being successful, and I guess if it weren’t there would be a back-up plan, there would be some contingency planning that the Christie would have to do.

“But we have to start positive and aim for the full amount. That is what we want from the population of the CCG.”

READ > Christie launches appeal for £23m east Cheshire cancer centre

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust expects that the new site would see 40,000 patient visits a year, and would help Cheshire’s health system meet the needs of a growing and ageing population.

But Alex Mitchell, chief finance officer at Eastern Cheshire CCG, told governors that the full development as planned is ‘conditional on the money being raised’.

Dr Mike Clark, GP peer group lead for Macclesfield, added: “The offer may be tweaked slightly as to what services are brought in [if the funds are not raised], but hopefully they will be able to raise the funds.”

The new centre, which will be staffed by doctors, nurses and specialists from the Christie, will be home to two linear accelerators – highly-specialist equipment which will deliver more than 15,000 radiotherapy treatments every year.

There will also be 18 treatment chairs to deliver more than 4,000 chemotherapy treatments a year, outpatient facilities with specialist examination rooms, a CT simulator where treatments are planned, counselling and complementary therapy rooms.

In a statement issued when the plans were revealed, Louise Hadley, director of fundraising at The Christie, said: “This new Christie Centre at Macclesfield is an ambitious project to transform cancer care for thousands of patients who use our services every year. To make it happen we need to raise £23 million.

“We’re planning lots of exciting fundraising events over the next 12 months and we’d love the people of East Cheshire and beyond to really get behind this fundraising campaign and get involved.”

For more details and to support the project, visit christies.org/macclesfield