A new multi-million pound cancer centre on the site of the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle has welcomed its first patients.

The culmination of two years’ work with an investment of £35 million in north Cumbria to improve health outcomes for the local population, the Northern Centre for Cancer Care brings all non-surgical cancer services under the same roof for the first time.

The development of the centre will bring huge benefits to those people who need to access cancer services in north Cumbria as the majority of adult patients will be able to access the state-of-the-art facilities and receive their care closer to home. Only patients with rare cancers, those requiring very specialist radiotherapy and children and young people with cancer will continue to be referred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Around 2,000 patients are already set to receive treatment or follow-up care at the new centre with approximately 1,200 new referrals each year. The team also expects to deliver approximately 11,500 radiotherapy treatments and 8,000 chemotherapy treatments, as well as 4,000 supportive therapy treatments, a year.

Dame Jackie Daniel, chief executive at Newcastle Hospitals, said: “We’re delighted to have welcomed our first patients at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria. The centre looks fantastic and all of the teams involved have worked incredibly hard to make sure this is a calm and comfortable environment for our patients. The development of the centre demonstrates our commitment to providing high quality and sustainable cancer services to people across north Cumbria and supporting patients to receive care closer to home.”