A North East MP has called on Northumbria NHS Healthcare Trust to consider bringing a life saving cancer treatment centre under its control, as the company behind it has gone bust.
Ian Lavery says he has met with Sir James Mackey, chief executive of the trust, to urge him to consider options for saving the groundbreaking Rutherford Cancer Centre North East located in the MP's Wansbeck constituency. Earlier this week it emerged the group behind the centre - which officially opened three years ago offering cutting edge proton beam therapy - was facing liquidation. That is likely to lead to the closure of the centre at Bormasund.
Mr Lavery said: “The Rutherford Centre in Bomarsund was only opened in 2018 and offered innovative proton beam therapy to cancer sufferers alongside more established treatments. Whilst it did work contracted by the National Health Service it was fundamentally a private healthcare firm and this always sat uncomfortably with me.
Read more: Behind the scenes at a 'busier than ever' Tyneside GPs' surgery where doctors see 45 patients a day
"The news that the company behind the centre is seeking liquidation is concerning and in the past 24 hours I have spoken to the chief executive of the Northumbria NHS Healthcare Trust, Sir James Mackey to request the trust look at options for bringing the brand new facility under its auspices.
"There is a cancer backlog in the NHS as a result of both cuts to the service and the Covid pandemic and the Government have no plan to deal with this. Taking this innovative centre under the control of the NHS would allow patients access to innovative treatment in a modern setting and help to get to grips with waiting lists.
"I have arranged for follow up meetings with Sir James in the coming days and weeks as more information becomes available to ensure the process is done as smoothly and quickly as possible.”
Northumbria NHS Healthcare Trust declined to comment on Mr Lavery's statement. Meanwhile, the Welsh Government and NHS is understood to be in talks about a takeover of Rutherford's Newport centre. The Bormasund site, along with several others run by Rutherford Health across the country, was set up privately and had hoped to attract NHS contracts to recoup huge costs incurred in setting it up.
In a statement Rutherford Health said that despite several offers, including not-for-profit terms, it had not secured sufficient contracts and Covid had caused fewer patients to use the centre leaving it financially precarious. As it awaited the appointment of official receivers, Rutherford said arrangements were being made to transfer patients to alternative facilities, including a "small number" of locally commissioned NHS patients being returned to their local NHS Trust to finish their treatment.
Read more:
