There is more firsts for Macclesfield's new Christie Hospital.

As the first-ever radiotherapy patient has been treated at The Christie at Macclesfield.

While we reported on the first chemotherapy patient when the site opened in December, the world-class radiotherapy treatment has begun at the new £26 million pound centre.

A Cheshire East cancer patient from became the first person to have radiotherapy treatment at The Christie at Macclesfield on Monday February 7.

Holmes Chapel resident Thomas Walker, 66, was greeted by the lead radiographer for the Macclesfield centre, James McGovern.

Mr Walker was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 and referred to The Christie for hormone therapy and 20 sessions of radiotherapy treatment.

He was previously travelling 24 miles just to get to his nearest The Christie centre, but now this journey has been halved with the new Macclesfield centre.

Patients like Thomas previously had to travel all-the-way to Withington in South Manchester for treatment. But not anymore!

While, Thomas's first nine radiotherapy treatments took place in Manchester, being offered the final 11 treatments a bit closer to home in Macclesfield is a welcome relief.

The Christie Macclesfield is located at the end of Fieldbank Drive.

Thomas said: "The new centre looks great and I'm so pleased that I can finish my radiotherapy treatment here rather than having to travel to Manchester which was a two hour round trip for me.

"The staff in Macclesfield were superb and looked after me so well. It feels so calm and is bright, clean and spacious, with brand new technology.

"I am sure that The Christie at Macclesfield will make a massive difference to so many patients like me from East Cheshire and the surrounding areas."

Radiotherapy is a specialised procedure using high energy radiation beams to destroy cancerous cells.

The beams are targeted at the cancer cells and delivered by a machine known as a linear accelerator. Cancer patients may need radiotherapy every weekday for up to six weeks.

There are two radiotherapy machines at The Christie at Macclesfield, each weighing six-and-a-half tonnes and costing around £2m each.

Bear in mind, one radiotherapy unit costs about one-thirteenth of the Macc Christie's total construction cost!

The pair of life-saving units are housed in two treatment rooms that have been specially designed with concrete walls up to two metres thick.

With the radiotherapy service now treating patients, as well as the previously started chemotherapy, the centre is fully open and will provide 46,000 patient appointments and visits each year and provide care closer to home for more than 1,500 patients a year.

In addition to 12,500 radiotherapy appointments and 6,800 chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal treatments, The Christie at Macclesfield will offer a range of holistic services including haematology treatments, outpatient care, nurse led clinics, counselling services, an information centre, palliative care and a wider range of clinical trials.

The centre also has a CT scanner where treatments are planned, complementary therapy rooms and a charity centre.

Funded through £23m from The Christie charity, this new centre will transform cancer care, treating patients from Cheshire, The High Peak area of Derbyshire and parts of North Staffordshire for the most common cancers like breast, bowel, lung and prostate. Patients with rare and complex cancers will continue to be treated at The Christie in Withington.

You too can donate to The Christie Macc here, which was almost entirely funded by generous public donation.

The Chief Executive for The Christie, Roger Spencer, said: "I am delighted that The Christie at Macclesfield is now fully open and treating radiotherapy patients.

This is the group of patients who will benefit most from the new centre, as previously they had to travel into Manchester every day for several weeks, at a time when they and their families were already experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety."

"The team at The Christie at Macclesfield is committed to delivering the very highest standards of Christie care for our patients. The centre marks a new era in cancer care and treatment for people from East Cheshire and the surrounding areas."

The Christie has produced a short video of the new centre so that patients can look around before they come for treatment.

The Christie at Macclesfield is the third in a network of local Christie radiotherapy centres where patients can access first class radiotherapy treatments from Christie experts, but much closer to home. The other centres are in Oldham and Salford.

Work on the two storey building commenced in the summer of 2020 and despite the COVID-19 pandemic the project was completed on time and on budget. The Christie at Macclesfield has been designed in a way that will cater for the needs of patients with frailty.

Following the completion of the new cancer centre, there is still more to be done to support cancer patients as they go through their treatment. The Christie charity provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds.

At Macclesfield, this will include complementary therapy, refreshments for patients, and other supportive services. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that we can provide.

Once again, you can donate to the Macclesfield good cause here, or pledge via calling the team on 0161 446 3988.

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