Royal Surrey Plans £25 Million Investment in New Cancer and Surgical Treatment Centre

Published on: 20 Sep, 2021
Updated on: 20 Sep, 2021

A new £25 million cancer and surgical innovation centre with the latest treatments and technology is being planned by the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust at its Guildford site to meet a growing demand for treatment which will save lives.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital

The plans include new and improved theatres and new robotic surgical tools to reduce surgical complications and allow faster recovery times.

The centre will serve not only the population local to the Royal Surrey but also a wider catchment area of up to three million people.

Work on the centre is expected to begin in 2022.

The Royal Surrey’s chief executive, Louise Stead.

The trust said demand for cancer surgery was growing as earlier cancer diagnosis and advances in oncology treatments opened up opportunities for surgical treatment of cancers at an earlier stage than in the past.

The new centre is expected to include:

A re-design of Royal Surrey’s theatres and new theatres to increase capacity
New spaces for patients to prepare, rest and recover from surgery including focussing on less than 24 hours stays with a redesigned short stay surgery unit
New equipment and technology including new robotic surgical equipment
Improved training and education facilities

It is hoped the new facilities will mean surgery can continue uninterrupted in future pandemic or crisis scenarios.

Louise Stead, CEO, at the Royal Surrey said: “This new centre will be a pioneering institute for innovation and excellence for a wide range of surgical specialities including a high volume of cancer surgery.”

Jeremy Hunt MP (Cons, South West Surrey), who has campaigned to support the centre, said: “The Royal Surrey is already a leading light in cancer care but this new centre will be a game changer locally and further improve the cancer services and care on offer.”