Coronavirus:
For the Cancer Advice Line please click here.
Harrogate Cancer Unit
The Harrogate Cancer Unit sits within the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Clinical Network. We diagnose more than 1,000 new patients per year and are consistently one of the top performing hospital trusts in the country for patient experience.
We provide the majority of treatments for common cancers locally and work closely with the Leeds Cancer Centre and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to provide treatment for patients with less common cancers. However, patients may still be seen in Harrogate for certain elements such as diagnostic or supportive care. All radiotherapy is provided at the Leeds Cancer Centre’s Bexley Wing.
Our experienced and skilled professionals specialise in many disciplines, and come together to work as multi-disciplinary teams (MDT). This ensures that our patients receive the best possible care. All teams have the support of a Macmillan clinical nurse specialist to support patients through all stages.
Local diagnostic and treatment services
Dependent on the condition, we provide particular levels of diagnostic and treatment services locally. The below table summarises the services we provide in Harrogate:
| Cancer | Screening | Diagnostics | Surgery | Chemotherapy |
| Breast | ✓ | ✓ (including immediate reconstruction) | ✓ | |
| Colorectal | ✓ (bowel cancer screening) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ENT | ✓ | |||
| Gynaecology | ✓ | ✓ (for early cervix and endometrial cancers) | ||
| Haematology | ✓ | ✓ (for level 1/2 patients) | ||
| Lung | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Skin | ✓ | ✓ (minor surgery) | ||
| Upper GI/hepatobiliary | ✓ | |||
| Urology | ✓ | ✓ (bladder surgery, excluding cystectomy) | ✓ (intra-vesical chemotherapy, and chemotherapy) |
The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre is a purpose-built centre designed to provide outpatient clinics for oncology and haematology, daycase treatments and a range of supportive care.
In addition to these services, the Trust offers wider support including:
Timed Cancer Pathways
We have timed diagnostic and treatment pathways in place for each of our cancer sites so that patients are aware of the approximate timings that they will be seen and treated by. The pathways have been developed in line with patient’s constitutional rights (Cancer Waiting Time standards), so that in most cases a diagnosis of cancer or non-cancer can be communicated to the patient by day 28 and the patient treated by day 62 (and within 31 days). Sometimes, the complexity of a diagnosis means that these timings cannot always be adhered to, and this will be explained to the patient as they move through their pathway. These pathways are to be used as a helpful resource:
- Bladder Pathway
- Breast Timed Pathway
- Cervical pathway
- Endometrial pathway
- Gastrointestinal Pathway
- Haematology pathways:
– Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) & Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ALL)
– Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL)
– Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML)
– Lymphoma
– Multiple Myeloma
- Head and Neck pathway
- Lung pathway (non-radical)
- Lung pathway
- Ovarian pathway
- Penile Pathway
- Prostate Pathway
- Renal pathway
- Skin Pathway
- Testicular pathway
- Upper Gastrointestinal pathway
- Vaginal pathway
- Vulval pathway
Location
Most treatments and appointments will be held in the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre, which is located on the main Harrogate District Hospital site:
The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre
Harrogate District Hospital Site
1 Willaston Crescent
Harrogate
HG2 7SX
Key staff
Lead Cancer Nurse: Noreen Hawkshaw
Quality and Cancer Performance Manager: Michelle Milnes
Secretary: Inga Neale
Useful links
- Macmillan – we work closely with this cancer care and support charity. Macmillan has produced booklets and accompanying fact sheets designed for patients, explaining the referral guidelines for suspected cancer. In addition, there are leaflets on many other topics, including financial support, healthy eating, cancer treatment and fertility, and cancer and older people.
- Information about screening and waiting times