Nine NHS hospital brain tumour centres today became the first to be recognised as Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence for patient care.
The announcement was made at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT), for which Brain Tumour Research holds the secretariat.
Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status recognises the delivery of outstanding care and treatment by NHS staff in their efforts to provide above excellent patient care through a difficult time.
It is three years since Baroness Tessa Jowell gave her powerful speech in the House of Lords, following her diagnosis with a glioblastoma multiforme, recognising the need to improve brain tumour treatment, care and survival for all patients.
Tessa’s daughter Jess Mills, Co-Founder of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, said: “Mum’s mission throughout 50 years of her political life was to tackle systemic inequality. So it was tragic whilst fitting that her final campaign was a call to arms to create universal equality in access to excellence in cancer care throughout the NHS. It is with immeasurable pride that just three years later, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission has begun the real-world translation of that vision into reality.
“We are thrilled to have awarded nine centres for their excellent ongoing work for patients and commitment to support other centres in reaching the same level of excellence.”
Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, Sue Farrington Smith MBE, who sits on the Mission’s Steering Group, said: “We are very pleased to welcome this important initiative which perfectly complements the work that we are doing to fund and campaign for increased investment in the basic scientific research which is so vital if we are to improve outcomes for patients and, ultimately, find a cure for brain tumours which kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.”
The centres are: University Hospitals Birmingham; NHS Lothian, South East Scotland Cancer Network (Edinburgh); Kings & Guy’s and St Thomas; Leeds teaching hospitals NHS Trust (Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s Hospital); Salford Royal & The Christie (Manchester); Newcastle-upon Tyne Hospitals; Nottingham University Hospitals; St George’s University Hospital, Royal Marsden & Royal Surrey; and University College Hospital London & the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
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