The approval of the Strategic Outline Case provides backing for the CCRH scheme as part of the government’s commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030, with construction set to begin in 2023.
CCRH is a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals and the University of Cambridge to build a new specialist cancer hospital. It will combine cutting-edge NHS clinical space with three new research institutes that will support the ambitions set out in the government's Life Sciences Strategy, and the NHS Long Term Plan.
The new seven storey, circa 26,000 m2 building will be situated on Europe’s leading life sciences campus, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
This one-of-a-kind research hospital supports the government’s ambitions to enable more early diagnosis and help the UK become a ‘testbed for oncology innovation’.
Dr Hugo Ford, Director of Cancer Services, Cambridge University Hospital, said: “Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is putting the ‘life’ into the Government’s Life Sciences Strategy; with CCRH we have a unique opportunity to transform patient care through patient-led design alongside ground-breaking research."
Professor Richard Gilbertson, Head of Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge and Director of Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, said: “By locating research at the heart of our hospital and clinical spaces we can change the story of cancer for our patients locally and deliver real hope for people across the globe.”
Fiona Carey, Patient Advisory Group Co-Chair, said: “This is a place that will change the way we find and treat cancer - through patient-centred care, and by bringing world-leading research directly from the bench to the bed. It’s a new, unique hospital with a mission to save countless lives. Together we’ll discover new ways to detect cancer earlier, treat cancer with more precision, and make more break-throughs in less time.”
Health Minister Edward Argar said: “This is an important milestone in plans to build a new specialist cancer hospital in Cambridge, which will improve cancer care, speed up diagnosis and save more lives.
“The new hospital is one of 40 we have committed to build across England by 2030, as part of the largest hospital building programme in a generation.”
Additional fundraising and philanthropy will be needed, but the approval of the Strategic Outline Case marks an important milestone for these ambitious plans. The CCRH delivery team expect to submit the next stage of the business case process (the Outline Business Case) in early 2022, with CCRH expected to open no later than 2025/26.
CCRH is one of 40 new hospitals the government has committed to build by 2030. This commitment, backed by an initial £3.7 billion, forms part of the wider Health Infrastructure Plan, a strategic long-term investment to ensure our world-class healthcare system and staff has the world-class facilities it needs for the future.
