Nuffield Health and Icon Group announce next phase in strategic partnership for the delivery of oncology services in the UK

This partnership means that while CCL remains under the Nuffield Health ownership, brand, operational management and clinical governance, the Health System Director at Nuffield Health and the leadership team at CCL are now working closely with Icon Group’s Executive Manager Strategic Growth and National Operations Manager (UK), to identify priority areas to enhance and invest in the service. 

This includes investment in technical capability, patient experience and medical leadership to support service development and increased patient access to the best possible cancer care.

The partnership at CCL will continue to see collaboration with consultants shared between CCL and Parkside Hospital. Day-to-day patient appointments and operations at CCL continue as normal.

Alongside this announcement, both organisations are exploring how their partnership could develop across Nuffield Health’s other cancer services within its hospitals in the UK.  

Steve Gray, Nuffield Health’s Chief Executive Officer, says: “Our ambition for the partnership is to meet the rising demand for cancer care by expanding our oncology services and develop leading cancer care pathways in the independent sector.

“By combining Icon Group’s fantastic oncology research, innovation and investment expertise with our own connected healthcare experience across our hospital, fitness and wellbeing facilities in London, I believe both organisations can produce best-in-class cancer outcomes for more people.

“The Icon Group team is already working with our Cancer Centre London team to identify investment priorities and develop improvement plans that will see CCL reach its full potential. Over the coming months, we’ll be working with Icon Group to determine where we can invest in our existing cancer care services across the UK and expand into more places to reach more people as we fulfill our purpose of building a healthier nation.”

Mark Middleton, Icon Group Chief Executive Officer, says “Cancer Centre London has an outstanding reputation and we are delighted to be part of its future evolution.

“As part of this partnership, we have made a deep commitment to investing in technical capability, alongside medical and service leadership, to ensure CCL meets its full potential as a centre of oncology excellence. 

“This is the first step in our combined commitment to increase access to cancer care closer to where people live across the UK. Internationally, radiotherapy is recommended in approximately 50%¹ of cancer diagnoses however in the UK it is utilised in less than 30% of cases². Increasing access presents an enormous opportunity to make a real difference to cancer outcomes for patients across the region. We’re proud to be working with Nuffield Health to tackle the UK’s cancer burden.”

Nuffield Health is the only UK-wide independent hospital provider to have all hospitals rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by UK regulators*. With a mission to deliver the best care possible as close to home as possible, Icon Group is Australia’s largest integrated cancer care provider and has expanded globally into New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Mainland China and Hong Kong.

References

[1] Borras JM, Lievens Y, Barton M, et al. How many new cancer patients in Europe will require radiotherapy by 2025? An ESTRO-HERO analysis. Radiotherapy Oncol 2016; 119: 5–11.

[2] https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/covid-19/rcrd 

In the photo in the press release (pictured L to R): Margie Hjorth (Icon Group Director of Nursing), Liz Dowling (Nuffield Health Cancer Centre & Parkside Hospital Director of Clinical Services), Deb Scott (Nuffield Health Head of Clinical and Nursing Practice), Isabel Patterson (Nuffield Health Cancer Centre & Parkside Hospital London Lead Cancer Nurse), Mark Middleton (Icon Group Chief Executive Officer), Aldo Rolfo (Icon Group Executive Manager Strategic Growth), and Keisha Robinson (Nuffield Health Cancer Centre London Head of Radiotherapy Services and Quality).

Last updated Friday 12 January 2024

First published on Friday 12 January 2024