Patients with malignant and non-malignant haematological conditions from Mid and South Cheshire have praised the changes they have seen in their care and treatment at Leighton Hospital since the service transferred to The Christie last April.
Responsibility for the haematology service at Leighton transferred from Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust on 1 April 2025, so that patients could benefit from local access to the care and expertise of one of Europe’s leading cancer centres.
Patients receive their routine treatment locally at Leighton Hospital from a team led by Dr Georgina Talbot, with experienced consultant haematologists, advanced clinical practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and administrative staff based on-site. One of those patients is Sharan Bannaghan, 51, a hairdresser from Sandbach.
Sharan was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2023 after noticing a swelling near her collarbone, alongside weight loss and ongoing tiredness.
After initial chemotherapy treatment, she went into remission for 18 months before being diagnosed again in May 2025 when new lumps appeared in her neck and under her arm. She received further chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant at The Christie in Withington. Her most recent scan has shown no evidence of cancer.
She is now seen every 6 weeks at Leighton Hospital for follow-up care. Speaking about her care and treatment, Sharan said: “My experience at Leighton has been amazing. My consultant, Dr Georgina Talbot, is fantastic. She has really made this experience so much easier to deal with. I’m very happy with the service over the last 12 months.
“Also, my haematology support worker, Carla Pickles, has been wonderful. She always helps with any issues I have and gets back to me straight away. All the staff are warm and friendly, and the chemotherapy nurses really put me at ease at such a stressful time.”
The move has brought greater stability and access to specialist expertise for patients across Mid and South Cheshire, ensuring they can benefit from Christie-led care without needing to travel far from home.
Over the past year, the team has focused on improving access to diagnostics and treatments, reducing waiting times, and increasing patients' opportunities to participate in clinical trials.
More patients referred urgently with suspected cancer are now starting treatment within 62 days, which is the NHS standard for how quickly care should begin following an urgent GP referral. This means patients are being diagnosed and treated more quickly at a time that can be very worrying.
Improvements to the haematology service at Leighton have led to more consistent delivery of the 28-day faster diagnosis standard, enabling quicker diagnoses for patients and helping more patients be seen within the 18-week referral-to-treatment target.
The team have delivered around 1,000 new outpatient appointments and 10,000 follow-up appointments, alongside more than 3,500 chemotherapy and supportive care treatments across both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Patients receive care locally, including outpatient clinics for both cancer and general haematology conditions, chemotherapy through the Macmillan Unit, and day-case procedures such as blood transfusions. Patients who need more complex or specialist care can be referred to The Christie in Manchester.
Dr Georgina Talbot, lead clinician for haematology at Leighton Hospital, said: “Over the past year, we have built a strong, stable service that ensures specialist haematology care closer to home for our patients.
“Being part of The Christie network means we can offer patients the reassurance of expert care from a leading cancer centre, while allowing them to receive much of their treatment locally. This makes a real difference to patients and their families.”
The service supports a population of around 320,000 people and is part of The Christie’s wider haematology network, which includes services at Macclesfield and Tameside, as well as the main haematology centre at The Christie in Withington.
The development of the service at Leighton builds on The Christie’s ambition to deliver specialist cancer care closer to patients, while maintaining links to the Withington site for complex treatments. It also supports the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan goal to move more care into the community.
Dr Faye Sharpley, Clinical Director for Haematology and Teenage and Young Adult services at The Christie, said: “This growing network of local treatment centres allows us to share expertise and learning across sites, makes the best use of NHS resources and, most importantly, improves clinical outcomes for haematology patients across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.”
As the haematology service at Leighton service enters its second year, the team will continue to focus on improving patient experience, expanding access to clinical trials, and ensuring patients receive the best possible care.
The Christie already works closely with Leighton Hospital, one of a network of 14 local treatment centres offering chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormone treatments to a wide range of patients with different types of cancer. Several Christie consultants also hold outpatient clinics at Leighton Hospital for breast and bowel cancer patients.
Elsewhere in Cheshire, anti-cancer treatments are offered at St Luke's Hospice in Winsford, where patients can also have blood tests, and at The Christie at Macclesfield, which also provides radiotherapy. Some patients are also eligible to have treatments administered in the comfort of their own homes.