The Christie Centre – London, UK

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were successful in winning the process to become the two NHS centres to develop the Proton Beam Therapy Centre, with £250m investment in total.

Building work commenced on The Christie site in 2015 and was completed in early 2018. Partners with The Christie in this process included Interserve, as the construction lead; Arup Group, as the engineering lead; and, Varian Medical Systems, as the main equipment provider (cyclotron and gantries). The first patient was treated in December 2018 and the focus is now on ramping up to full capacity.

The centre can accommodate 750 patients per year, 40% of which are children and young adults. In addition, 50% of clinical capacity is reserved for evaluative studies; the research facility further augments the Christie’s reputation for world-leading research.

In terms of international partnerships, The Christie has a team coordinating the provision of expert oncology advice. This advice may be centred on the design of new oncology facilities to ensure effective delivery of care or a review of existing services to fully optimise the care provided. The advice offered by The Christie spans a comprehensive range of clinical and technical services.