29 June 2011 Press release
LEEDS GAMMA KNIFE CENTRE EXPANDS TEAM OF SPECIALISTS
NOVA Healthcare has strengthened the clinical team at its flagship Leeds Gamma Knife Centre by recruiting consultant neurosurgeon Mr Tom Flannery. Mr Flannery trained in gamma knife radiosurgery at one of the world’s leading centres for the treatment - the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. He will travel from his base at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to Leeds each month to treat both NHS and private patients with a range of brain diseases, including cancer.
Mr Flannery will be the lead clinician for carrying out gamma knife radiosurgery on the increasing number of patients from across All Ireland who are taking advantage of the modern equipment and short waiting times offered in Leeds – home to one of just a handful of gamma knives operating in the UK.
Chief Executive of Nova Healthcare, Mr Ron Gilden, said: “We are delighted to expand our team of specialists with the appointment of a consultant of Tom’s calibre. “He brings to the Leeds Gamma Knife Centre a wealth of experience gained around the world, and he will play a key role in treating those patients now being referred to us from both Northern Ireland and Eire, ensuring continuity of their care. Tom’s appointment will help us maintain our place at the forefront of clinical innovation and take the gamma knife into a new era of success for our patients.”
Mr Flannery, who is also senior lecturer in surgical oncology at Queen’s University, Belfast, said: “The Leeds centre is home to the world’s most modern gamma knife and a first-class team of clinicians. I am pleased to be given the opportunity to join it and for contribute to its future success.”
The Leeds Gamma Knife Centre is managed by leading independent healthcare provider Nova Healthcare in partnership with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Based in the £250m Bexley Wing at St James’s University Hospital in the city, the centre is home to the most advanced gamma knife in the world – the Lexsell Perfexion pioneered by Elekta. The gamma knife has the longest track-record of al the currently available radiosurgery technologies, and is the most accepted and widely-used radiosurgery treatment in the world.
The £3m technology is actually not a knife at all – it uses precisely delivered beams of radiation to safely target abnormalities in the brain without the need for complex, open brain surgery. In most cases, patients are treated by the gamma knife in a procedure lasting no longer than one hour, and are well enough to leave hospital the same day. [END]
10 June 2009 (Press release)
NEW Independent Oncology Service Opens First Gamma Knife in Leeds, England
For the very first time in Leeds, patients suffering from a range of brain conditions can now benefit from the latest technology – a Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ from Elekta – and an expert specialist clinical team – on their doorstep. The new private service will complement existing NHS facilities and will be a co-operative project between HTI, a leading specialist in advanced cancer treatment and diagnostic services, and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals, one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK.
The new independent service is housed in the recently opened £220m Bexley Wing at St. James’s University Hospital. As well as providing additional income for the NHS Trust, the new independent service will provide access to new technologies which can also benefit NHS patients.
These will include techniques such as stereotactic radiosurgery - a new high-tech way of treating brain disorders using the advanced Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ from Elekta. This equipment was previously unavailable in the area, and NHS patients will also be able to be referred to it for treatment. In addition to offering the latest technologies, patients of the new independent service will also have access to the site specific expertise and ancillary services within the Trust.
The new service, known as Nova Healthcare, opened in March 2009 and has already treated a number of patients with both radiotherapy and with the landmark stereotactic radiosurgery programme offered. A key element of the service is its integrative approach to the management of cancer care.
Nova’s skilled and highly-experienced team aims to carry out the treatment with minimal waits. Patients may be eligible for gamma knife treatment even in they have had open brain surgery previously, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or in the case of AVMs, embolisation procedures.
Mr John Langford, a 65-year-old retired insurance broker, made local medical history by becoming the first patient to have the procedure in Leeds. Less than 24 hours after being treated for a brain tumour, he was back at his local gym and golf course in Leeds - picking up a winning bet from friends.
Nova Healthcare Chief Executive, Kerry Jackson, said: “Our Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ from Elekta is the most advanced available in the world and we are delighted that we are working alongside the NHS to propel West Yorkshire into this new era of technology. It is a major step forward for patient care.”
John Langford’s actual procedure took just 30 minutes. He lay on the Leksell Gamma Knife® while Leeds neurosurgeon Stuart Ross – who travelled to Stockholm and Marseilles to receive expert training in the procedure – worked with radiographers in an adjoining room, speaking to him throughout.John said after the procedure: “It was a fantastic experience and I feel absolutely fine. To be the first patient to be treated by Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ technology in West Yorkshire was exciting, and I wish future patients every success – they have nothing to fear and much to gain from it.
“I had a bet before going into hospital that I would be back at my gym the day afterwards as nobody believed I would be fit and well enough to do so. But I was – and it was great to go there and pick up my winnings! I also managed to squeeze in a few holes of golf as well.”
Dr. Hugo Mascie-Taylor, Medical Director of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said, “This partnership is an opportunity to bring new technologies to the region at a faster pace than would otherwise be possible. The St. James’s Institute of Oncology has already treated thousands of patients in its state-of-the-art facilities, and this new service will offer a wider choice of care for more of our patients.” He added:”With 1,600 staff and 350 inpatient beds our facility is one of the largest specialist cancer treatment centres in Europe. The addition of a new independent service has always been part of our plans and will add an extra dimension to what is already an excellent facility.”
HTI is currently the Managed Equipment Services partner within the St. James’s Institute of Oncology, providing advanced technologies to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust under a 15-year PFI contract. HTI has 30+ years of international experience, having developed over 200 cancer treatment and diagnostic centres worldwide. [END]