Six NHS trusts have been awarded excellence status by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) for providing excellence in patient treatment, care and research.

The list of centres who obtained Excellence status this round include: The East of England service (Cambridge University Hospitals, Norfolk Norwich Hospital and Ipswich Hospital); Oxford University Hospitals; The Bristol Network (North Bristol NHS Trust, United Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust); Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust;Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; and Cardiff Neuro-oncology centre (Velindre Cancer Centre and University Hospital Wales).

To be considered for this award, centres implemented specific feedback from TJBCM and made a range of service improvements over a period of 18 months. Highlights include: better access to biobanking, increased nurse staffing, improved provision of care for low grade tumour patients, new nurse-led clinics, further specialised neurosurgery services, quicker turnaround of key diagnostic tests and improved access to rehabilitation services.

This initiative is part of TJBCM’s national mission to ensure every patient has access to excellent care, no matter where they live. With the addition of six new centres, there are now 17 Centres of Excellence across the UK.

Jess Mills, Tessa Jowell’s daughter and TJBCM’s Special Adviser said:

“We are one step closer to achieving this incredible ambition of excellence for all. The reason we are moving forward at this fast pace is due to the combined efforts and commitment of the doctors, nurses and support staff in each of the hospitals.”

Cara Charles-Barks, Chief Executive at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are honoured to have been awarded the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence as part of the Bristol Network. Through working together, the Network has transformed brain cancer services in the South West, ensuring our patients receive the highest quality personalised care. The award is testament to the dedication of our teams who have worked so hard to drive forward improvements to enhance the care patients receive throughout their brain cancer treatment journey.”

Founded in 2018 to lead a new national strategy for brain tumours, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission has led the national assessment for the Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence, and is committed to help all UK centres achieve ‘excellence’ status in the future.