The exterior work on the construction of The Christie at Macclesfield cancer centre is nearing completion.

Windows, doors, the external cladding and the roof of the new £26m cancer centre are very close to being completed. It means that the building is ready for some key items of clinical equipment to be delivered, ready for installation.

The building is being clad in brass, to match the main entrance at The Christie's Withington site to create a stunning architectural appearance for the cancer centre.

The Christie at Macclesfield project remains on schedule and on budget for completion this year ready to treat the first patients on Victoria Road in December 2021.

The director of capital and estates at The Christie, Stuart Keen, said: "We are very pleased with the progress that has been made on the building of The Christie at Macclesfield. This is a key phase of the project but there is still a lot of work to be done so that we are ready to welcome our first patients in December."

The internal fitting out of the building is also progressing well with rooms taking shape and the installation of ceilings, doors, floor coverings, plumbing, electrical supplies, lighting, IT cabling, plastering and decorations.

The plant room, where all the lighting, power, heating and cooling for the building is provided, is nearing completion.

The main electricity supply for the site was connected in July. This involved laying over 500m of cable from a connection point by the hospital main entrance to a new substation in the cancer centre.

Outside the building, the new parking bays to the west side of the site are being developed and the patient drop off area and footpaths are taking shape.

A corridor that will provide an indoor link to the main Macclesfield District General Hospital is progressing well.

Students studying construction related courses at Macclesfield College were invited to the site earlier in the summer to give them an insight into what it is like working on a construction site.

The Christie at Macclesfield will transform cancer care in Cheshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire and parts of North Staffordshire, providing care closer to home for more than 1,500 existing Christie patients a year.

It will bring together essential cancer services into one purpose-built centre delivering local specialist access to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, holistic support and information services, outpatient care, palliative care and a wider range of clinical trials.

Around 46,000 appointments per year will take place at the new centre, welcoming Macclesfield patients from as far as Staffs and the High Peak.

Louise Stimson from The Christie charity said: "It is so exciting to see the building progressing this quickly. The Christie charity is aiming to raise £23m towards the £26m cost of this new cancer centre and we still need people's support and donations.

"The new centre will deliver cancer care to the highest Christie standards, but closer to where patients live. Many patients currently travel to The Christie in South Manchester, putting tremendous pressure on them and their families at an already stressful time.

"As a charity, we were hit badly by COVID-19 and that directly impacts the support we can offer the hospital. We have never needed our supporters more because cancer didn't stop during the pandemic."

The construction of the new cancer centre is being carried out by VINCI Construction UK.

Plans for the new cancer centre were approved by East Cheshire Council in September 2019. It will open two years and two months later.

The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds.

The Macclesfield facility will prevent lots of unwell and exhausted cancer patients from our area traversing all the way to Manchester.

This includes money for care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services.

Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.

£23 million of the £26 million construction cost for the delayed facility is through public donations.

For details of how you can support The Christie at Macclesfield fundraising appeal, please head to this webpage.

See Also: Poynton woman in charity dash for new Macclesfield Christie cancer facility and dad

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