We are The Christie magazine -Edition 5

News in brief

Introducing ambient voice technology As part of our Future Christie transformation programme, we are introducing ambient voice technology (AVT) - a digital note-taker. AVT is a secure tool that listens during a consultation and helps create an accurate written summary of what was discussed. Clinicians check everything before it is saved, and the conversation with the clinical team remains the most important part of the appointment. Using AVT means clinicians spend less time typing notes and more time focusing on patients. Patients will receive a clear written summary sooner, helping them remember what was agreed and share information with their GP. As Professor Adrian Bloor, our Medical Director for Future Christie, says: “At its heart, this innovation is about freeing up time to care.” AVT launched with consultants in selected areas in early 2026 and will be gradually introduced across the hospital, ensuring the right support is in place.

News in brief

Executive assistants recognised with national award Five of our executive assistants recently received the ‘Unsung Hero’ award at The National PA Awards in Manchester. The team were originally nominated by service manager and line manager Paulette Eckersley for the ‘Stronger Together’ category. After reviewing the nomination, judges felt the team’s story deserved wider recognition and created a brand-new award to acknowledge their commitment and outstanding teamwork. “I’ve only been managing and leading the team at The Christie since June, but from day one, I could see they were deserving of this award. They’ve faced significant challenges in recent months, yet they’ve consistently supported each other and delivered exceptional service to the executive team. I’m so proud to see them recognised in this way, they truly deserve it,” Paulette says.

Cancer conference success for The Christie Christie researchers attended the European Society for Medical Oncology annual meeting in October, one of the world’s most prestigious cancer research conferences. They were involved in over 30 presentations and poster sessions covering everything from early-phase trial results and patient-reported outcomes to resilience in oncology professionals and basic and translational research. Highlights included Gemma Jones, one of our senior nurses, speaking about electronic patient-reported outcomes in streamlining pre-treatment assessment, and Dr Andrew Clamp presenting overall survival analysis of the ICON8B trial as part of the gynaecological cancer session. Congratulations also go to Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite and Dr Colin Lindsay, who both won awards for posters they presented. Partnership with Ukrainian cancer doctors The Christie has recently hosted cancer clinicians from Ukraine. It’s part of a partnership with the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine, with visitors spending time with Christie teams in their respective fields – radiotherapy, surgery, and medical oncology, as well as sharing their experiences of

The Christie on the small screen The Christie was recently featured in a documentary series about ground-breaking cancer research that’s happening across the UK. Episode three of Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cure focuses on Professor Caroline Dive, Director of the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, which is based at our Withington site. She and her team of experts from Cancer Research UK, The University of Manchester and The Christie are developing innovative blood tests to detect cancer, looking for tiny fragments of cancer DNA in the blood that give them information about how and when to treat it. Through her work, we meet Lee, who is being treated for cancer of unknown primary at The Christie. Doctors can’t find where his cancer started. Could Caroline’s pioneering blood tests help? The programme also focuses on patient Damian, who hopes to join a trial to test if his recent skin cancer could be coming back. Watch ‘Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures’ – Channel 4.

delivering cancer care in difficult circumstances back home. The visits are part of the International Medical Partnership initiative and the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Treaty and are funded by Global Health Partnerships.

If you’d like to read more about these stories, please visit: christie.nhs.uk/news

3