Headlines 2026

Members’ Headlines summer 2026

A royal visit tof The Christief

Volunteering at The Christie

Future Christie

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Membership at The Christie

Contents

Welcome to the latest edition of Headlines At The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, we remain committed to providing the best possible cancer care and treatment for our patients in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and beyond. This year, the NHS has continued to face significant challenges nationally, regionally and locally. We are very fortunate here at The Christie that our strong operational and financial performance is enabling us to weather this storm and focus on our mission to ensure that every patient receives care that combines expertise and compassion. It is at the heart of everything we do. We remain a key part of the wider Greater Manchester healthcare system which means we must continue to closely manage our budget and drive forward standards to ensure we can provide the highest levels of care for all our patients – and the world-leading research that is expected of us. We are always reminded by patients and visitors that there is something special about The Christie. It holds a very dear place in the hearts of many. And we know that the biggest factor in this is our outstanding staff. We have a team of expert, caring and dedicated people, and every single person does their utmost to put our patients at the heart of all we do, no matter what their role. The many thank you cards and comments we receive on a daily basis are a joy to read and make us rightly proud of everything our team does. Our continued excellent performance in patient feedback reinforces this. Thank you for being a member of The Christie and to everyone who has shared their comments or attended a membership event such as a focus group, a PLACE assessment or attended the Annual Members Meeting. We hope you enjoy reading about the Trust’s highlights and achievements over the last 12 months. All our communications to members are sent by email. Please keep us informed if your email address has changed. To update your record, please send your name, postcode and email address to: the-christie.members@nhs.net If you have friends or family who would like to become members, please ask them to visit our website and complete the membership form on our website at: christie.nhs.uk/members If you would like to update your membership details including the information you would like to receive from us, you can do this on our website: christie.nhs.uk/join We would particularly welcome an update about your age and ethnicity so that we can better understand which groups our members represent.

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Welcome

K eeping in touch

H ow can I get more involved as a member?

4 Volunteering at The Christie 5-7 Patient stories

8-9 N ews from the Trust 10 I nvitation to the AMM

We are interested in your comments and feedback on the content of Headlines – if there is something you would like to see in the next issue, please email the membership office: the-christie.members@nhs.net

You are a key part of The Christie and, through the Council of Governors, influence how The Christie is run. Your governors are here to represent you at the highest level. If you have any suggestions, views or concerns and would like to contact your governor please get in touch with the membership office: The Christie membership office, 550 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX Email: the-christie.members@nhs.net You can follow The Christie on: (formerly Twitter) @TheChristieNHS, How to contact us and your governor

or our charity @TheChristie @ TheChristieNHS or our charity @TheChristiecharity

@thechristienhs or our charity@christiecharity

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Membership at The Christie

The Christie selected for Advanced Foundation Trust status The 10 Year Health Plan, published last July, set out the vision of reinvigorating and reinventing the foundation trust model for the modern integrated health system. This is being delivered Becoming an Advanced Foundation Trust may mean that our Council of Governors may no longer exist. The 10 Year Health Plan suggests that these may be replaced by a different

through the Advanced Foundation Trust programme, with the ambition that all NHS providers will achieve Advanced Foundation Trust status by 2035. We are pleased to announce that The Christie will be one of the second wave of applicants to be assessed for Advanced Foundation Trust status. Inclusion in this early wave recognises that we have demonstrated consistent high performance by being placed in segment 1 of the NHS Oversight Framework for each quarter of 2025/26. Securing Advanced Foundation Trust status will require successful assessment as part of the Advanced Foundation Trust programme and we will be working closely with NHS England as part of that process to demonstrate how we meet the assessment criteria. Successfully passing the assessment will undoubtedly provide some exciting financial and regulatory freedoms for the way we can invest more in local health services, tailoring our work based on the needs of our local communities.

arrangement that draws on patient, staff and stakeholder insight. This change is expected on 1 April 2027 but is not guaranteed and depends on legislation and we will keep you updated on any changes and plans on this. We are committed to ensuring people will still be able to engage with us and input into how we deliver our care and services regardless of any impeding changes. Some of the ways you can engage with us are listed below with these and any new opportunities shared on our website and other channels: • Online focus groups • Patient engagement group • Condition specific support groups • Spotlight events focusing on research and post-treatment events • Cultural awareness events and open days • Christie neighbourhood forum For more information on the Advanced Foundation Trust programme, please visit the NHS England website

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Membership at The Christie

How can I get involved more as a member?

Aside from sharing any feedback with us about The Christie, the Trust runs several membership events every year that are only available to our members. Information about these events is sent via the email address we hold for you; which is why it is so important that we have an email address for you. Please get in touch if you think we don’t have your email address or if you have changed email addresses in the last 5 years. Email the-christie.members@nhs.net to find out more or to check we have the correct email address for you.

These membership events include:

The Annual Members’ Meeting This is a face-to-face and online streamed event which gives members an annual update on the Trust’s achievements and highlights. It is followed by a question-and- answer session with our Chief Executive, Roger Spencer and chair. Focus groups These are usually held on the last Thursday of each month via Zoom and you can access Zoom via a computer, tablet or smartphone. Each one is on a different topic, and members give their opinion and feedback on a range of topics helping us to improve our services. They are

informal with an introduction from a Christie staff member followed by questions and comments from our members. We usually have about 10 members on a focus group, so they are booked on a first come first served basis. Patient-led assessments of the care environment (PLACE) assessments Our PLACE assessments take place every year to help us to make positive changes by gathering feedback on how we can improve the environment where we deliver our services to patients. They are a national requirement for Trusts.

Each year we assess a couple of our sites. Members who are participating must be able to attend a training event as well as the assessment. We usually have 15 members on each assessment, so they are booked on a first come first served basis. Surveys Throughout the year, we may send surveys to members to complete and give their feedback to help improve our service to our patients, carers and families. Your feedback is really important to us so that we make changes that you want to see.

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Membership at The Christie

Keeping in touch Our membership database has around 9,000 public members who have joined over a number of years. As with most organisations today, we use email as the main way of letting our members know about news, information and events from around the Trust. We currently have email addresses for less than half of our members and we want to increase this number to make sure we can send you the information you have requested and communicate with as many of our dedicated members as possible. If you think we haven’t got your email address or you have changed it in the last couple of years, please let us know by emailing us at the-christie.members@nhs.net There are 3 levels of communications to choose from: • General information (sent to all our members) – this includes Headlines magazine, your invitation to the Annual Members’ Meeting and other Trust-wide events such as open days. We will also contact you to vote for your governor when elections take place. • Events and meetings – we will let you know about any departmental events or meetings that might be of interest to you. Our volunteers work in non-clinical roles across a range of departments and make a huge difference to our patients’ experience by giving their time. Volunteers can work up to 10 hours a week but must first successfully complete our mandatory training, as well as DBS and ID checks. We want our teams to reflect the diversity of the patients and communities we serve and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities. To find out what volunteering roles we have available and to apply for specific roles, please visit our website at: christie.nhs.uk/volunteers Volunteering at The Christie Could you be a volunteer?

• Focus groups and online surveys – this is a great way to have your say on how we shape and improve our services at The Christie. Focus groups take place monthly online on different subjects and we will email you with information about these as they are arranged. To make sure we have your correct details and that we are sending you the information you would like, you can complete the form on our website: christie.nhs.uk/join and we will update your details. If you no longer wish to be a member and would like us to remove you from our records, please let us know by emailing us at the-christie.members@nhs.net or by phone 0161 446 8616. Keeping up with news from the Trust Another great way of keeping up-to-date with news from around the Trust is to read our latest news on our website. Here you can read about the latest Trust developments, patient stories and news from around The Christie. Take a look here: christie.nhs.uk/news

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Patient stories

Real life patient stories

Rama’s story

Rama

“ I got to explore the playroom and the gantry where I have treatment every day. The hospital feels very big when you get here, so being able to explore it in Minecraft helps you to understand where everything is, which is great. I think other children would love it just as much as I do.”

Rama is a 10-year-old from Bradford who had proton beam therapy at The Christie.

She was the first patient to explore our proton beam therapy in Minecraft. It’s believed to be the first time that a working NHS health facility has been accurately reconstructed within the game. Our team hopes the new play

“I got to explore the playroom and the gantry where I have treatment every day. The hospital feels very big when you get here, so being able to explore it in Minecraft helps you to understand where everything is, which is great. I think other children would love it just as much as I do.” Rama was excited to tell her story on BBC Newsround. Read more of our patient and staff stories in our We are The Christie magazine online or pick up a copy around the hospital.

environment will help to reduce the anxiety that young patients feel when they come for their first proton beam therapy treatment. Rama certainly thinks it does. “It looks just the same as the hospital, it’s so cool,” she says.

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Patient stories

“The Christie helped me get my life back”

A dad who once ran the London Marathon, completed several 10k runs, and cycled 50-100 miles a week has described how cancer treatment left him unable to walk, but thanks to specialist care at The Christie in Manchester, he has rebuilt his life.

“ Care at The Christie feels different from any other hospital. You’re treated as a person, not just a patient.”

Struggling with pain and mobility, David was referred to The Christie’s supportive oncology team, led by Professor Richard Berman. The service focuses on managing symptoms, supporting recovery and improving quality of life during and after cancer treatment. Through tailored pain management and physiotherapy, David slowly began to rebuild confidence and strength. “The pain hasn’t gone away, but I no longer rely on medication every day,” he said. “The team helped me understand my body and use it differently, which gave me back some independence.” He also credits his physiotherapist, Nic, for supporting both his physical and mental well-being, helping him break a long-standing pain cycle. Nearly a year after finishing treatment, David reached a milestone he once thought impossible. “I managed to walk up Snowdon. Slowly and carefully, but I did it,” he said. “Now I hike when I can, and getting back on my bike is my 2026 goal.” David continues with ongoing monitoring and follow-up care, which he says is crucial. “Care at The Christie feels different from any other hospital. You’re treated as a person, not just a patient,” he said. “Staff go above and beyond, so you feel listened to, valued, and cared for.” Looking back, David says supportive care made all the difference. Although life looks different after cancer, with the right care and understanding, he is grateful to still be moving forward, supported by his family and The Christie team, who helped him get his life back.

David Macartney, from Hazel Grove in Stockport, was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 non Hodgkin lymphoma in early 2022 after noticing a small lump under his armpit. “Being put on a cancer pathway was a huge shock, the eight weeks waiting for a diagnosis felt like forever.” he said. “When I was diagnosed, I was terrified. I had real fear; the fear of dying, fear of leaving my family behind, and fear of what the treatment might do to me. When chemotherapy began, he tried to stay active, even cycling to appointments when he could. “Movement gave me a sense of control when everything else felt out of my hands. It reminded me I was still me.” The intensive treatment was successful and put his cancer into remission, but it came with life-changing side effects. David spent six weeks in hospital, in severe pain and unable to move the lower half of his body. He believes steroid medication weakened his spine, leading to eleven fractures in his back. “I went from being active to being dependent on others,” he said. “That mental shift, learning to accept help, was one of the hardest parts.”

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Patient stories

Oldham patient benefits from faster cancer treatment A retired nurse from Hollinwood is benefiting from a new way of receiving cancer treatment that takes minutes rather than hours.

Rosemary with her daugher Paula

Rosemary Andrew was diagnosed with kidney cancer in June 2022 after experiencing symptoms including blood in her urine, weight loss, and tiredness. She had surgery to remove a kidney and was referred to The Christie for ongoing treatment. Rosemary began immunotherapy, initially delivered through a drip into a vein, which could take at least an hour. Since November 2025, she has been receiving nivolumab as a quick injection under the skin at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in Royton. Her appointment now takes around 10 minutes. “It’s faster and more convenient,” she says. “It means less time in a clinical setting and more time doing the things I relish, including volunteering at with Age UK, reading, watching football and spending time with my family.” Rosemary, who has two daughters, three grandchildren and three great-granddaughters, continues to respond well to treatment. Her latest scan shows no measurable disease.

“ I feel very lucky to be under The Christie’s care.”

Rosemary Andrew

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News from the Trust

News from the Trust

The Princess of Wales visits The Christie

The Princess of Wales visited The Christie on Thursday 4 June 2026 to learn more about the healing power of holistic therapies, alongside clinical care, for people living with and beyond cancer.

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 60,000 patients a year. It is the first UK centre to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre, meeting high international standards in all aspects of cancer care, including treatment, research and education. The Trust serves a

touch, hypnotherapy and creative visualisation. These can help alleviate symptoms common with diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including stress, mild to moderate depression, fear, worry and anxiety induced nausea. The Christie also has drop-in art classes, a wellbeing garden and a chaplaincy service. The Christie Charity funds the art room and complementary therapy, which are services above and beyond what the NHS provides. The Princess began her visit to The Christie’s Withington site by visiting the Oak Road Treatment Centre, to meet with staff and patients currently undergoing chemotherapy. She talked to members of the spiritual care team and patients benefitting from this service. Patients receiving complementary therapy were on hand to share their stories.

population of 3.2 million people from Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas. The Christie is renowned for its offering of complementary and holistic therapies, all free of charge, to patients and carers alike. As an integrated part of the service, The Christie provides therapies including massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture/ acupressure, reflexology, therapeutic

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News from the Trust

Exciting development works This year we have embarked on another major capital programme to continue to transform our estate to make the most of advances in technology and meet an increasing demand in activity.

Construction has now begun on our new pathology laboratory centre which is aiming for completion by early 2027. This will then enable us to demolish some of the oldest parts of the Withington site and begin work to build The Christie scanning centre which is due to open in 2029. These new facilities will be a major step forward in the care we can provide, allowing us all to benefit from the latest technologies as they are developed, helping us diagnose and treat a patient’s cancer as accurately and efficiently as possible.

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News from the Trust

Winston’s story Our upcoming restaurant refresh

Our Withington site restaurant will undergo a refresh in the second half of this year, to improve the whole experience. This will include a new entrance, increased seating, a new outdoor terrace, more service and till points to reduce queues at busy times, and an increased ‘grab and go’ concept for those buying lunch in a hurry. These improvements, which are planned to take around six months, will create a bigger and brighter restaurant with more choice. Thanks for bearing with us while we make things better for everyone.

Transforming cancer care through Future Christie Future Christie is our long-term programme to improve how we deliver cancer care at The Christie, bringing together changes to systems, technology and ways of working to support both patients and staff.

It’s a phased programme, with different elements being introduced and developed over time. The aim is simple, to make care more responsive and more personalised, while supporting staff to deliver the best possible care. Some of these changes are already starting to be

development is the introduction of ambient voice technology, a digital notetaker that supports clinicians by capturing conversations during appointments and turning them into structured clinical notes and summaries. This technology is being used in some clinics, with clinicians reviewing and editing all outputs. To help bring these changes to life, we’ve launched a new video series, Future Christie and me. These short films share real experiences from patients and staff, showing how new approaches can make a difference in day-to-day care. View them here. Future Christie will continue to develop over the coming years, with further improvements planned, including a new electronic patient record and better use of data to support care. Throughout, our focus remains the same, to support patients with clear information and high-quality care, and to support staff with the tools and systems they need to deliver it.

seen by patients. One of the most visible developments is MyChristie, our secure online patient portal. More patients are now using MyChristie to view appointment details, clinic letters and other key information. Alongside this, digital treatment reviews have been introduced for some patients receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy. These allow patients to report how they are feeling between appointments, helping teams respond earlier if support is needed. Another important

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Invitation to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust Annual Members’ Meeting 2026 Please join us for our Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday 10 September 2026 at 3pm. The meeting will last about an hour and will include Trust achievements in 2025/26, highlights of the year followed by a Q & A session with our chief executive and chair. There will be the opportunity to meet some of our governors, directors and other members of The Christie team prior to the meeting from 2.30pm. Please visit the Christie website (Getting to The Christie) for details of how to get to The Christie. For more information about the Annual Members’ Meeting including details on how to register should you wish to attend virtually, please visit the Trust website here: christie.nhs.uk/amm There are many ways in which you, as a member, can support The Christie such as voting for your local governor or taking part in surveys. Some of you are active supporters of The Christie Charity as well as members and we really appreciate the time and the hard work you give. I hope you will join us on Thursday 10 September. If you intend to come to the Annual Members’ Meeting it would help us if you could let us know by calling 0161 446 8616 (answer phone) or by email to the-christie.members@nhs.net Warm regards

Professor Joe Rafferty Chair

Notice is given that the Annual Members’ Meeting of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be held at 3pm on Thursday 10 September 2026. The business will be as follows: 1. to receive the annual report and accounts 2025/26 2. to receive the report of the auditor 3. to receive a report on membership issues 4. To receive an update on changes to our governors By order of the Council of Governors, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

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