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Leeds cancer centre could save thousands
A £345,000 cancer centre offering top-class training facilities to NHS staff will help save thousands of lives across Yorkshire.
The Leeds-based East Pennine Cytology Training Centre will provide training and support to medical staff whose job it is to detect cervical cancer.
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It will also ensure diagnostic teams comply with the highest standards by monitoring their effectiveness in combating some of the most common forms of cancer.
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According to the latest Government figures, more than 80 per cent of eligible women in Yorkshire and The Humber and the North East are now coming forward and being screened for abnormalities that could lead to cervical cancer if left unchecked.
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The national cervical screening programme alone costs around 157 million and saves an estimated 4,500 lives each year.
But the Department of Health says that ensuring the overall quality of screening services across the region is vital in detecting cases before they become life-threatening.
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As well as training, the centre will ensure standards are being met by incorporating the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Quality Assurance Reference Centre.
Together, the two organisations will provide training and support to NHS staff working to detect cervical cancer and also ensure the quality of cervical, breast and bowel cancer screening programmes.
Dr John Smith, the new Centre's director, said: "By bringing the two organisations together on the same site, NHS Trusts now have easy access to a dedicated training team and the best possible technical support. This is an excellent example of how strong partnerships are helping to improve services and save lives."
Replacing three separate, smaller sites, the new centre will train up to 40 staff at any one time in the latest techniques and correct interpretation of tests.
With an HQ at Capital Park West, Morley, it will serve 20 laboratories across the Yorkshire and The Humber and North East regions and parts of the East Midlands.
Around 300,000 a year will be invested in its training programmes and a further 500,000 on the delivery of quality assurance.
Dr Smith is also director of the Sheffield Cervical Cytology Service and lead histopathologist at the Sheffield Gynaecological Cancer Centre.
The new Centre was opened by Regional Minister Rosie Winterton.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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