The Trust was measured on a range of criteria including dedicated and specialised provision for patient care, outstanding clinical trials and basic/translational research, strong links with local services and exemplar model of rehabilitation with national contributions.
For patients, getting treatment in a designated centre will mean that they can be confident that they receive the highest standard of care under the NHS and are able to access the latest cutting-edge trials and research, regardless of where they live. For centres, designation as a Tessa Jowell (TJ) Centre of Excellence will serve as a national recognition of their staff going above and beyond. The TJ Centres will also act as an important network for sharing and promoting best practice, as a way of supporting centres that are doing brilliant work but still need more help.
Following the announcement, a formal accreditation ceremony took place on 15 May. Mr Ryan Matthew, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, attended the ceremony at the Francis Crick Institute, London, accepting the award on behalf of the Trust in front of several Peers from the House of Lords and Tessa Jowell’s daughter.
Mr Mathew said: “We’re deeply honoured that the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission has named us a Centre of Excellence. Across multiple hospital sites and specialities—neurosurgery, oncology, radiology, pathology, genetics, therapies, specialist nursing, palliative care, neurology and psychology—our teams work as one to give every patient the most advanced, compassionate care possible.
“Achieving Centre of Excellence status required a rigorous evaluation of all parts of our service, from clinical pathways to training and research. I’m immensely grateful to the colleagues who shaped the submission and to the many more who make our brain-tumour programme exceptional every day. While we’re proud of this recognition, it’s also a push to keep innovating, turning research into patients benefits, and continuing to strive for greater excellence in the years ahead.”
Brain tumours affect over 11,000 adults in the UK every year and kill more people under the age of 40 than any other cancer. In the absence of a cure, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) has committed since 2020 to ensuring all UK patients with a brain tumour can have access to the best standard of treatment, care and research, through the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence initiative, described recently by Minister Ashley Dalton as the “main national framework” in UK neuro-oncology.
Ashley Dalton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, reflecting on the new awards, said “Every brain cancer diagnosis is life-changing for patients and their families.
“These centres of excellence are making a world of difference by giving patients the best care and treatment, backed by the latest research. That’s why I welcome this recognition for each of the fourteen centres that are showing the best of the NHS in action.
“Our National Cancer Plan will transform the way we approach cancers to further improve care and bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.”