Your career: Our recruitment pack

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS FoundationTrust is one of the UK’s leading cancer centres providing highly specialist cancer care to a populationof 2.4m people across Cheshire, Merseyside and the surrounding areas including the Isle of Man.

We are a tertiary cancer centre, providing non-surgical cancer care. Our reputation and specialist services attract national and international cancer patients. We have a unique multi-site care model consisting of three main sites, four additional systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) sites and 14 outpatient centres (listed below), making us one of the largest NHS providers of non-surgical cancer treatment for solid tumours and blood cancers. Our clinical model also includes the provision of chemotherapy in the home and workplace.

Together, this enables us to provide a comprehensive range of inpatient care, acute oncology, radiology, advanced radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT), including gene therapies and immunotherapies. We are also the only facility in the UK providing low-energy proton beam therapy to treat rare eye cancers and we host the region’s Teenage and Young Adult Unit.

Map showing where we work

Our three main sites

• Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Aintree
• Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Liverpool
• Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral

Chemotherapy / systemic anti-cancer therapy clinics

• CANtreat Halton
• Marina Dalglish Centre, Aintree
• Ormskirk Hospital
• Lilac Centre, St Helens

Outpatient clinics

• Arrowe Park Hospital
• Aintree University Hospital
• Broadgreen Hospital
• Clatterbridge Hospital
• Countess of Chester Hospital
• Halton General Hospital (Nightingale Building)
• Noble's Hospital (Isle of Man) 
• Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
• Liverpool Women’s Hospital
• St Helens Hospital
• The Walton Centre
• Warrington Hospital
• Whiston Hospital

We deliver:

• Pioneering systemic anti-cancer therapy such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and gene therapy
• Cutting-edge radiotherapy
• State-of-the-art radiology, including interventional radiology
• Inpatient care
• Stem cell transplantation
• Teenage and Young Adult unit
• Acute oncology
• Research and innovation
• Clinical therapies
• Cancer information and holistic support for people living with and beyond cancer

We are committed to taking our organisation forward so that we continue to stand as a benchmark of what a modern cancer care provider should be.

Figures 2022/23

• 1,800 staff
• 36,000 patients a year (13,500 new patients)
• 410,600 patient contacts
• 309 eye proton therapy patients
• 76,700 outpatient chemo / SACT treatments
• 88,000 radiotherapy attendances
• 110 single inpatient rooms
• 27,790 radiology scans
• 81 stem cell transplants
• 7,000 inpatient episodes of care
• 2,700 inpatient chemo / SACT treatments
• 5,900 patients admitted to our Clinical Decisions Unit

The new 11-floor flagship Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool, which opened in June 2020, has transformed the way we work and will help us deliver exceptional cancer care for generations to come.

Its location on an acute site with rapid access to critical care and other medical/surgical specialties in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital next door means that we can now offer more complex treatments and clinical trials that would not previously have been possible.

The most complex and seriously unwell people with cancer can now be admitted and cared for in a specialist cancer hospital, benefiting from all the expertise and wraparound care we provide, rather than an acute trust. Our Clinical Decisions Unit sees those who need urgent assessment and cancer care (e.g. if they suddenly become unwell with side-effects), reducing the need for them to visit emergency departments.

Blood cancer and solid tumour cancer care in Liverpool are now provided in the same hospital following the transfer of Liverpool University Hospital’s haemato-oncology service to us. We are bringing highly-advanced new treatments such as CAR-T to the region, saving patients from having to travel to other parts of the UK.

Patients also have access to pioneering first-in-human clinical trials, including personalised cancer vaccines. We are at the heart of a thriving research and healthcare campus with the University of Liverpool, NHS and other key research partners, enabling more cancer research and clinical trials.

Our ambition to provide outstanding cancer care now and in the future includes ensuring we have the right people with the right skills and that they are supported by the right technology, equipment and facilities. It’s also about working with other healthcare providers to ensure patients are diagnosed and begin treatment as soon and as smoothly as possible.

Our clinical model – with our cancer centres in Aintree, Liverpool and Wirral, our SACT and outpatient clinics in hospitals across Cheshire and Merseyside and our treatment at home service – provides patients with enhanced access to specialist cancer care, clinical trials and supportive services.
As we look to the future, we will continue to develop cancer services that will ensure the people of Cheshire, Merseyside and beyond benefit from care of the highest quality for decades to come.

One of the most important reasons behind opening a new hospital in Liverpool was the opportunity it has given us to expand our research capacity and capability to improve outcomes for people with cancer. Research is an integral theme and key driver in our activity.

We have the infrastructure in place to support investigator-led studies and hosted studies to expand novel cancer research. We have strengthened the focus on research and reformed the management within the Research and Innovation Directorate to transform our research performance and awareness.

As a direct result, there has been a surge in trial recruitment in recent years – we have been the top recruiter for a number of trials – and we have also significantly increased the number of clinician-led studies that we sponsor.

In partnership with the University of Liverpool, we have secured Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) status, which has enhanced our early-phase trial availability and recruitment. We have also secured Clinical Research Facility status in collaboration with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital to address the needs of the local population. We are part of the NIHR The Royal Marsden and ICR Biomedical Research Centre. 

We have also played a major role in planning and facilitating the launch of the unique Liverpool Health Partner SPARK collaborative which aims to provide a single point of access for delivering high-quality research governance, costing, contracting and on-boarding of clinical trials and research projects within the region, thereby simplifying contract negotiations and minimising set-up times.

Our new cancer hospital in Liverpool is enabling us to support a full range of clinical trials, including first-in-human, early phase, gene therapy, as well as larger drug trials and therapies. It also includes a new research laboratory which hosts the CCC Biobank and trials processing, enabling translational
research.

The unique location in the Knowledge Quarter and adjacent to the University of Liverpool campus enables key academic collaboration, both with the University and the neighbouring Liverpool University Hospitals.

We recognise the importance of innovation, not only for our organisation, but the NHS and the UK as a whole. Innovation translates the knowledge and understanding gained from research into a real-world practical application. It is research that then in turn tests and validates the safety and efficacy of the innovation. The establishment of the Innovation Fund in collaboration with the Clatterbridge
Cancer Charity and creation of the Innovation Team underlines our commitment to being at the leading edge of healthcare to accelerate and maximise access to innovations which improve patient outcomes and experience.

We lead research into new cancer treatments

• Associate partner with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR
• Collaborator in the NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research Facility
• NHS partner in the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre

Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance

We host the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, one of the 19 Cancer Alliances in England tasked with delivering the Long Term Plan for cancer. Together with partners and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside we are well positioned to provide leadership and assurance in the delivery of the national cancer strategy whilst pioneering new models of care.

Dr Liz Bishop, CCC’s Chief Executive, is the Senior Responsible Officer and Chair of the Alliance Board. Its Medical Director and Deputy Senior Responsible Director is Dr Chris Warburton, from Liverpool University Hospitals.

Connecting for the future through digital

We are a digitally mature organisation and we are proud to be part of NHS England’s Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme. GDE investment of £5m, match funded, has enabled us to transform cancer care and support new ways of using digital technology, driving radical improvements to support agile clinicians and digital patients empowered through innovation.

The GDE programme encompasses a wide range of enhancements, including closed loop prescribing, development of our cancer pathways and their interoperability with local acute and specialist providers, and our journey to becoming a true paperless hospital, transforming care using data analytics.

Clatterbridge Cancer Charity

The charity helps us invest in leading technology, fund life-saving research, enhance the patient environment and enable innovations in care. 

PropCare

Our wholly-owned estates subsidiary, PropCare, provides expertise in estates, facilities and project management.

PharmaC

Our wholly-owned pharmacy subsidiary, PharmaC, provides specialist cancer dispensing services.

Clatterbridge Private Clinic

Our joint venture with The Mater Private. Funds from our private clinic are reinvested back into the Trust, benefiting NHS patient care.

Mission

Our mission as a specialist cancer centre is to:

Drive improved outcomes and experience through our unique network of specialist cancer care across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Our strategic priorities

To deliver our mission, we have developed a five-year plan to address six strategic priorities:

Be Outstanding 

Deliver safe, high-quality care and outstanding operational and financial performance

Be collaborative 

Drive better outcomes for cancer patients, working with our partners across our unique network of care

Be a great place to work 

Attract, develop and retain a highly-skilled, motivated and inclusive workforce to deliver the best care

Be research leaders  

Be leaders in cancer research to improve outcomes for patients now and in the future

Be digital

Deliver digitally-transformed services, empowering patients and staff

Be innovative  

Be enterprising and innovative, exploring opportunities that improve or support patient care

Our operational model has three clinical divisions:

Note:

• CBU - Clinical business unit
• SRG - Tumour site reference group (e.g. breast, lower GI)

Networked Services

CBU1: Day care and networked services

Services: Day Care, Satellite Treatment, Treatment at Home, Immuno-Oncology, MSCC, Venous Access, Outpatient

SRGs: Breast, Skin, Gynaecological, Acute Oncology, Cancer of Unknown Primary

CBU2: Outpatients and clinical support

Services: Outpatient Services, Lead Nurse, Common Cancers, Lead AHP, Phlebotomy, Dietetics, Nutrition Nurse, SLT, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Patient Information Team, Psychological Medicine, Lymphoedema, SLAs 

SRGs: Upper GI, Lower GI

CBU3: Admin services

Services: Medical Secretaries, Access, Cancer Waiting Times team, Receptionists, Assistant Service Managers, Switchboard

Acute care

CBU4: Pharmacy

Clinical Pharmacy, Aseptic Manufacturing

CBU5: Inpatient care

Services: Wards 2, 3, 4 and 5, Clinical Decisions Unit, Hotline, Patient Flow, Hospital at Night, Lead Nurse for Rare Cancers, Junior Doctors 

SRGs: Palliative Care, BMT (stem cell transplant), Haemato-Oncology, Rare Cancers (Sarcoma, Testicular, Teenage and Young Adult, Paediatrics)

Radiation Services

CBU6: Radiotherapy services

Services: Lead nurses – Intermediate Cancers Pre treatment, SAS Doctors, Radiotherapy, Brachytherapy, Papillon, Cyclotron

SRGs: Urology, Lung, Head and Neck 

CBU7: Radiology

Services: Radiotherapy Pre-Treatment, Radiology Services (CT, Nuclear Medicine, MR, US, Interventional Radiology) 

CBU8: Physics

Services: Radiotherapy Planning (including Planning Radiographers), Radiotherapy Services Support, Radiology Services Support, External (UoL Teaching, RTTQA, Commercial)

We want our workforce to be at their very best, so maintaining a healthy workplace and offering health and wellbeing support is important to us. Our staff can take advantage of a range of staff benefits including:

• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Access to the NHS pension scheme with a generous employer contribution
• Monthly staff awards
• Education and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Provision (EAP)
• Discounted gym membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Travel and leisure scheme
• Staff loans
• Home electronics scheme
• Lease car scheme

Fair Employment Charter: Aspiring Level status

Our values

Our values represent who we are and what we believe in. They define how we act to deliver the best possible care for our patients and shape The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre as a great place to work.

We are:

• Kind
• Empowered
• Responsible
• Inclusive

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust has a commitment to support an inclusive working environment which promotes equality, values diversity and respects the dignity of every individual.

We welcome applications from groups currently under-represented in our workforce, ensuring that our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, are encouraged to apply for our job roles. In addition, we offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and services to support staff from different backgrounds.

We are recognised as a Disability Confident Employer and are committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities. Where vacancies arise, candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role will be invited for interview and considered on their abilities in relation to the requirements of the job.

Reasonable adjustments can be made where required throughout the recruitment and selection process. Adjustments to the work environment, equipment or working practices will be supported to enable a person with a disability to carry out the duties of the role.