Luton Council has publicly backed plans for a new radiotherapy facility at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, arguing it would significantly improve cancer care access for some of the town’s most deprived communities.
In an open letter submitted as part of a consultation into the future of services at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, council leaders say proposals that could include a radiotherapy unit in Luton would deliver “by far the best, most equitable outcome” for local patients.
The consultation, being run by NHS East of England and NHS North West London Integrated Care Boards, is considering where specialist cancer services currently delivered at Mount Vernon should be located in the future.
Mount Vernon, in Northwood, north-west London, treats patients from a wide area including Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and parts of north London. The centre has long been considered outdated and in need of replacement, with NHS leaders proposing to move most specialist services to a new purpose-built facility.
Three potential options are under consideration as part of the consultation.
Luton Council is backing Option C, which would see the main specialist centre move to Watford General Hospital while also creating a networked radiotherapy unit that the council says should be located at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
In their submission to the consultation, council leader Hazel Simmons and scrutiny health and social care review group chair Richard Underwood said the option would help tackle significant health inequalities affecting residents.
The letter states that Luton already experiences poorer cancer outcomes than many surrounding areas, including the lowest one-year cancer survival rates within the Mount Vernon service area.
According to figures cited in the consultation, around 69.3 per cent of Luton patients survive at least one year after a cancer diagnosis, compared with 78.3 per cent in Barnet.
The council also highlighted high mortality rates from some cancers, including prostate and bladder cancer, where Luton ranks among the worst areas nationally.
Access to treatment was another major factor in the council’s argument.
Radiotherapy often requires patients to attend hospital up to five days a week for as long as six weeks, and the council said distance and transport costs already lead some patients to decline treatment.
Around a quarter of households in Luton do not have access to a car, compared with 15.6 per cent across Hertfordshire, meaning many patients rely on public transport.
Journey times from Luton to Watford or the Lister Hospital in Stevenage — another potential site for cancer services under different consultation options — can exceed an hour by public transport, compared with around 24 minutes to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
The council said locating a radiotherapy service in Luton would therefore significantly improve access for local residents and for others living north of Watford.
It estimates around 1,700 current Mount Vernon patients would live closer to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital than to Watford General Hospital, while about 1,300 would live closer to Luton than to the Lister Hospital.
Council leaders also pointed to wider social factors affecting access to care.
Luton is ranked among the more deprived areas in England and has the lowest gross disposable household income per head in the east of England region. The council warned that travel costs, insecure employment and caring responsibilities can all make it harder for residents to attend repeated hospital appointments.
The letter also highlighted concerns raised through community engagement work around trust in cancer services among some of Luton’s diverse communities.
More than half of the town’s population comes from ethnic backgrounds other than white British, and engagement carried out through a Macmillan-funded “Cancer Connectors” project found some residents reported experiences of dismissal or misunderstanding in healthcare settings.
Council leaders say offering treatment locally at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital — which many residents already trust — could help improve engagement with services and ensure patients complete treatment.
The authority also argued the hospital already has the infrastructure to support a radiotherapy unit, pointing to its existing cancer centre and Macmillan facilities.
In their joint statement, Cllr Simmons and Mr Underwood said locating a radiotherapy unit in Luton would support the NHS’s stated aim of reducing health inequalities.
They said: “If tackling inequity for the most deprived area in the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre patch is a priority, the decision should be clear.”
The consultation on the future of Mount Vernon cancer services is expected to inform a final decision on where the new specialist centre and supporting services will be located.
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