The new 11,700m² centre is to be constructed at The Royal Marsden’s Sutton site and will replace some of the more dated facilities and infrastructure with modern, purpose-built spaces, helping the Trust to save more lives by diagnosing cancer earlier. Bringing more than 400 of the world’s best clinical researchers together under one roof will speed up the development of new treatments. The completed centre will bring patient care to the heart of the research community, allowing the Trust to continue to make a national and global contribution to cancer research and treatment, so that more people are cured and quality of life is improved for those living with cancer.

The lower ground floor will contain ultra-modern remote consultation rooms, moving with advancements in digital technology to help patients avoid repeated trips to the hospital. A Rapid Diagnostic centre will also be housed here. By utilising the latest technology, clinicians will be able to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage when treatment is more likely to be successful. A brand-new endoscopy suite, located alongside the Rapid Diagnostic Centre, will also help to improve early diagnosis.

The Outpatients Department is to be consolidated at ground floor level, meaning that patients will be able to undergo blood tests, see their consultant and collect a prescription without having to visit different floors. For patients who are elderly, frail or feeling unwell, this will make their visit easier and shorter. The design incorporates spacious waiting areas where families can sit together.

At second floor level will be the Medical Day Unit, which will allow patients to enjoy peace and quiet while receiving chemotherapy in spacious, modern surroundings with lots of natural light. The second floor will also be home to the Urgent Care Centre. Patients becoming acutely unwell will have a state-of-the art facility where they can be assessed and treated without needing to be sent to a local A&E department. This will ensure patients can be seen quickly by experts who have a detailed knowledge of their disease and treatment.

Research will be spread over first, second and third floors, which will bring together 400 researchers currently dispersed across the Sutton site in spaces designed to encourage communication across different tumour specialities. This will enable them to share their latest findings and innovations with other research colleagues and help accelerate the development of new treatments.

Link bridges on the ground and first floors will connect the Oak Cancer Centre to the main hospital building for ease of access.