Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

23/08/2026

"The mobile unit doesn’t just deliver chemotherapy. It gives families back time. It reduces anxiety. It removes barriers to treatment. It preserves moments of normal family life that childhood cancer can so easily take away."

Our new Children’s Care Closer to Home mobile cancer treatment unit brings selected chemotherapy and supportive treatments closer to home, helping to reduce travel, financial pressure, and time away from school and family for children and young people receiving cancer care.

We recently heard from a family whose lives are being changed by this new unit. This summer they took a family holiday to the Lake District, and, thanks to the mobile treatment unit, their six-year-old son Rory was able to receive his treatment locally, meaning they didn’t have to interrupt their holiday with a long journey back to Manchester.

They shared, "At a time when life can feel dominated by hospital appointments, that gift of normality was priceless. We were able to continue making precious memories together instead of spending the day on the motorway and the oncology unit."

Rory's parents also passed on their thanks to our colleagues who work in the unit: "Their kindness will stay with us long after treatment has finished."

We are proud to work on this pilot with the North West Children’s Cancer Operational Delivery Network, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance and charity Hope for Tomorrow.

Thank you to Rory's family for sharing such lovely feedback, and we wish Rory all the best with his recovery 💙

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

Last week, patients, families and colleagues came together for the Better Together Music Festival at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital 🎵

Organised by Songbirds Music UK in partnership with our Therapeutic and Specialised Play Service and our Youth Service, the event celebrated the power of music to support health, creativity and wellbeing.

From live performances and interactive activities to a colourful parade around our Oxford Road Campus, the day brought joy, connection and smiles to children and young people during their hospital stay.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the day so special 💙

19/08/2026

Congratulations to Chelsea Soka, Lead Haemoglobinopathy Clinical Nurse Specialist at Manchester Royal Infirmary, who has been shortlisted for B.A.M.E Nurse of the Year at the National B.A.M.E Health & Care Awards 2026 🌟

Chelsea has played a key role in developing our specialist haemoglobinopathy services, including supporting the establishment of Manchester’s dedicated Sickle Cell Unit. She is recognised for her commitment to high-quality, compassionate care and her advocacy for patients with sickle cell disease, thalassaemia and rare inherited anaemias.

The awards received more than 350 submissions this year, with winners due to be announced in September. Good luck, Chelsea!

18/08/2026

A groundbreaking Greater Manchester collaboration project has been nationally recognised at the 2026 Advancing Healthcare Awards🌟

The innovative pilot tested a portable device that enables paramedics to measure troponin levels in a patient. It can be used in ambulances within minutes, helping identify heart attacks sooner.

Widespread adoption of the test could save lives, ease pressure on emergency departments and reduce the need to transfer patients to specialist centres - freeing up ambulances to respond to other life-threatening incidents 🚑

The device was piloted in a collaboration involving MFT Research and Innovation, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, The University of Manchester, Health Innovation Manchester and the manufacturer of the test, Siemens Healthineers Ltd.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this pioneering project.

Read the full story: https://mft.nhs.uk/2026/08/07/manchester-cardiac-innovation-collaboration-recognised-at-national-awards/

17/08/2026

Well done to everyone who competed at the British Transplant Games! 🏆

The Games brought together more than 2,500 transplant recipients of all ages from across the UK to compete in over 24 sports.

Our patients and former patients from across our hospitals took part in a wide range of events, including football, athletics, cycling and archery ⚽🏃‍♀️🚴

We are incredibly proud of everyone who represented the Manchester Children’s, Manchester Adults and Wythenshawe Adults teams. We have loved hearing everyone's stories, getting inspired by their incredible achievements, and enjoying all of the fantastic photos from the games!

The Wythenshawe Adults team were named Best Heart and Lung Team after winning an impressive 15 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze medals - congratulations! 🥇

NewStart Charity
Transplant Active - Home of the British Transplant Games

14/08/2026

Change starts with a conversation.

By connecting patients, their carers and clinicians we can improve cancer services in Greater Manchester.

Join the Greater Manchester Cancer Voices Community: https://bit.ly/40HqRqw

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance

13/08/2026

Our researchers have developed an innovative test that detects patients not taking their prescribed medications, which can often lead to further health problems 🧪

The latest version of the test can now detect 64 medications in one urine sample, including drugs prescribed in diabetes, cardiology, rheumatology and lipid clinics, making our lab one of only two in the country to carry out this scale of testing.

🗣️Professor Maciej Tomaszewski, Honorary Consultant Physician with us and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The University of Manchester, who led the expansion, said: “Seeing this test expanded into other medical specialities, and fully integrated into our routine diagnostic pipelines, is a fantastic moment for us. It is exciting to be working on innovations that are helping in better management of chronic health conditions."

📰 Read more about this innovative lab work - https://mft.nhs.uk/2026/08/10/manchester-researchers-lead-the-way-in-large-scale-medication-adherence-screening/

13/08/2026

With temperatures peaking today, make sure you take sensible precautions to stay safe:

- keep hydrated
- avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day (11am-3pm)
- wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes
- check in on older or vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours

12/08/2026

We welcomed some special visitors to Buccleuch Lodge Intermediate Care Unit last week! 🦙

Our patients, families and colleagues met Dobby, Marmalade and Haribo, a trio of therapy alpacas, and got the chance to feed them, stroke them and enjoy their calming influence.

The Manchester Local Care Organisation unit provides rehabilitation care for people who've left hospital but aren't quite ready to return home. Dobby, Marmalade and Haribo gave everyone a welcome boost!