A report capturing public and stakeholder feedback on proposals to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre has been published, marking an important milestone in plans to secure the long-term future of specialised cancer services across Hertfordshire and parts of Bedfordshire, North London, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
The proposals were developed after clinicians warned that specialist cancer services currently provided at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre are at risk of being lost within the next few years unless they can be relocated alongside acute hospital services.
The report’s publication follows a three-month public consultation on the proposals to move specialised cancer services to a new purpose-built cancer centre at Watford General Hospital while expanding care closer to home through local hospitals and community services. While patients continue to receive high-quality care from dedicated staff, the current site at Northwood lacks the acute hospital services increasingly needed to support modern cancer treatment.
As a result:
- Patients with blood cancers can no longer be treated at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre
- Some patients with complex medical needs already receive treatment elsewhere
- Early-phase clinical trials cannot be delivered on the current site
- Some patients require transfer by ambulance to other hospitals during treatment if they become seriously unwell and need specialist support not available at Mount Vernon.
Clinical teams and independent reviews have consistently concluded that the current site cannot support the full range of modern cancer treatments over the long term. Without access to the wider services available on an acute hospital site, treatment options would continue to reduce, recruitment and retention would become increasingly difficult, and the cancer centre would continue to move towards complete closure.
Doctors and healthcare leaders concluded that specialist cancer services must be co-located with acute hospital services to ensure patients can continue to access the most advanced treatments and clinical trials in the future. Watford General Hospital was identified as the preferred location because it is the closest acute hospital to the existing site and would have the least overall impact on patient travel times for patients across all three regions the cancer centre serves. In addition, the proposed full-scale redevelopment of the Watford site means it is possible to design and develop modern facilities for both cancer care and other acute services.
Between January and March 2026, more than 3,500 people took part in the consultation through surveys, public meetings, roadshows and community-led events. The consultation survey received 2,222 responses, while a community microgrant programme enabled local organisations to run their own consultation discussions, resulting in 68 independently organised community events across the area.
The findings provide a substantial evidence base that will help form the Decision-Making Business Case which will be developed over the summer.
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Clinical Lead and Consultant Oncologist Dr Amy Guppy said;
The current Mount Vernon site is no longer able to support the level of cancer care that patients need today, or the care they are likely to need in the future.
As cancer doctors, our priority is to provide patients with the highest quality care and access to the latest treatments and research. We believe the best way to secure that future for Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is to move to a site with immediate access to acute specialist services, including intensive care, surgery and medicine.
We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views during the consultation, and the feedback we have received will play an important role in helping us shape services that are as accessible and patient-centred as possible.
The consultation found that public opinion fell into two distinct groups, with 48% of respondents supporting the proposals and 42% opposing them. These views were strongly influenced by people’s views about access to services. Those who believed the proposals would improve clinical safety and access to specialist care were more likely to support them. Those who opposed the proposals most commonly cited concerns about travel times, transport options, parking, costs and reliance on family or carers.
Support was higher among healthcare professionals, with 69% of clinicians responding to a separate survey backing the proposals.
Respondents also highlighted the importance of maintaining the calm, personalised environment that patients value at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, alongside concerns about funding, deliverability and timescale.
Consultation feedback showed greater support for introducing an additional radiotherapy facility in the north of the area than for having no additional radiotherapy facility. However, there was no clear preference between the potential locations in Stevenage or Luton.
Dr Jane Halpin, Managing Director of the East of England Office of Commissioning said;
The consultation has provided valuable insight into how people think these proposals might affect patients, families and communities, as well as practical suggestions for how they could be improved and alternative ideas that we are now carefully reviewing.
We have heard clearly that people want access to the best possible cancer care, but that they are also concerned about accessible and affordable travel, transport and parking. Our priority is to ensure patients can access safe, high-quality specialist cancer care now and in the future. That means ensuring we can provide the latest treatments, clinical expertise and emergency support whenever they need it, while designing services that are as accessible, patient-centred and easy to navigate as possible.
We will now carefully consider all of the consultation findings alongside the clinical evidence, alternative suggestions and potential ways of reducing the impact on patients and families, before developing our final recommendations.
The consultation findings were independently analysed by consultation specialists Olovus, who produced the final consultation report.
In an additional step to strengthen transparency and accountability, participants were invited to review and comment on a draft version of the report before publication. Ten responses were received from individuals and organisations during the two-week review period, resulting in a number of amendments and clarifications, including additional detail about specific groups of respondents and concerns raised during the consultation.
Commissioners will now review the consultation findings, consider the suggestions and alternative options put forward, and develop final recommendations later this year.
You can find detailed information about the proposals on the review website.
