HCA Healthcare UK opens £26M Specialist Oncology Unit as part of HCA UK at UCH

Today HCA Healthcare UK opens the doors to its latest investment in complex cancer care, a £26milion specialist complex haematology and oncology unit at HCA Healthcare UK at University College Hospital.

The investment is part of HCA UK’s longstanding partnership with University College Hospital, providing private patient care at HCA UK at UCH since 2006. It sees the transfer and expansion of inpatient capability into a specially designed state-of-the-art 43-bed unit in the new Grafton Way building. 

With the expertise and infrastructure to provide innovative cancer therapies including CAR-T Cell Therapy, TIL Therapy and Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants, the development builds on HCA UK’s reputation as the most comprehensive provider of cancer care in the independent sector, with the capability across its healthcare system to care for patients, no matter how complex their condition, from diagnosis through to treatment and supportive care.

The expansion of HCA UK at UCH will enable access to inpatient clinical trials delivered via HCA UK’s research arm, Sarah Canon Research Institute UK.

The new unit has been designed and equipped to support the delivery of high-quality acute care and ensure the best possible patient experience. Features include.
• 8-bedded, HEPA-filtered Advanced Cellular Therapy Unit- the optimal clinical environment for highly specialised treatments such as CAR-T Cell Therapy.
• A JACIE accredited Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit for bone marrow transplants. 
• Inpatient rooms with positive pressure lobbies to minimise the risk of infection for immunocompromised patients.
• Direct access to a 10-bedded haematology oncology specialist consultant led Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) for patients with complex needs. 
• A dedicated Isolation Unit which means patients with transmissible infections can continue to be cared for within the unit safely.

Patients will continue to benefit from the expertise of leading consultants, the experience of our skilled nursing and allied health professional team and robust clinical governance that has already established the care provided at HCA UK at UCH as CQC Outstanding. 

Day care and outpatient services for private patients will continue to be delivered at the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre.

Claire Smith, CEO of HCA UK NHS Joint Ventures said:

“I am delighted to be expanding our inpatient care at HCA UK at UCH, further enhancing our capability and capacity to provide high quality cancer care and leading-edge treatments. Every aspect of this development has been designed with patient care and experience at the fore. Features such as the Advanced Cellular Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Units are demonstrative of the acute specialist care that we are uniquely positioned to provide at HCA Healthcare UK.

“This is another important milestone in our longstanding partnerships with the NHS, building on the 2021 investment in our theatres at The Christie Private Care and looking ahead to our exciting new development with University Hospitals Birmingham.”

John Reay, President and CEO of HCA Healthcare UK, said:

“This £26million investment into HCA UK at UCH is part of our wider commitment to ensuring that across our healthcare system we are providing the complete pathway for cancer patients, from diagnostics through to the most specialist treatment and holistic care. This depth and breadth of care, unmatched in the independent sector, attracts patients to us from across the world.”

Dr Panos Kottaridis Consultant Haematologist & Associate Medical Director at HCA UK at UCH adds;

“The new 43-bed inpatient unit at HCA UK at UCH brings together the very latest advances in treatment and technology, with outstanding levels of expertise and care, making it the optimal environment to care for patients with complex cancer and haematology conditions.”