Cambridge cancer research hospital to be fully funded

The hospital is planned for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, close to Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth hospitals

Supporters of a new cancer hospital for the east of England have been told the scheme will go ahead and be fully funded by government.

Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) and the University of Cambridge.

Based at the city's Biomedical Campus, it will combine NHS clinical space with three new research institutes.

It is being built under the government's New Hospital Programme.

In a statement the CUH NHS Foundation Trust said: "Bringing together world-class NHS clinicians with cutting-edge university and industry-led research, the hospital will accelerate the early detection of cancer and lead the way in delivering bespoke, precision treatments that will radically improve patient outcomes."

Additional fundraising and philanthropy will also be required, as has always been the case, the trust added.

These centres will support the ambitions set out in the government's Life Science Strategy and NHS Long Term Plan, the trust said.

Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital will aim to treat cancer with more precision, an NHS trust said

The partnership is now waiting for sign-off of its business case.

A full planning application was submitted to Cambridge City Council in January 2023 and a decision is anticipated for this summer.

Construction of the seven-storey, 26,000 sq m building is set to begin in 2024.

The government's New Hospital Programme was a 2019 manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030.

The list was reworked on Thursday by Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who added five vulnerable hospitals built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Mr Barclay told the House of Commons: "Since 2020, we have committed to invest £3.7bn by the financial year 2024/25 and we expect the total investment to now be over £20bn for the programme as a whole."

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