Christie Hospital, Manchester

This is a dedicated unit for teenage and young adult cancer.
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Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 4BX

Telephone: 0845 226 3000 (Switchboard) cheaper for long distance calls. Or 0161 446 3000 (Switchboard) local calls.

Website: http://www.christie.nhs.uk/

Map: to view the hospital on a map click here (this takes you to the Multimap site).

There is a dining room serving meals and drinks, a coffee shop, tea bar, pharmacy, hairdresser (with mobile service for patients), gift shop and trolley service supplying a range of items. Payphones are located throughout the hospital. There is a Chaplaincy and Spiritual Support centre, Cancer Information Centre and wig service.

Christie Hospital is located between Wilmslow Road and Palatine Road, Withington and is approximately five miles from the city centre. The villages of Withington and Didsbury are nearby and both have a Post Office, bank, library, parks, supermarkets and a variety of small shops and businesses.

Withington also has a launderette, swimming pool and fitness centre, while Didsbury has the Parrswood Leisure Complex, which includes a cinema, bowling alley and restaurants.

Train: For the most part, mainline trains arrive at Manchester Piccadilly station in the city centre. Some stop at Oxford Road station and from here you can take a bus or taxi to the hospital. Some trains arrive at Manchester Victoria, from where you can take a city centre bus to Piccadilly Garden’s bus station or a taxi to the Christie. For National Rail enquiries ring: 0845 7 484 950

Bus: Buses to and from the hospital run frequently. For timetable information call 0161 228 7811, or visit www.gmpte.com.
 
Parking on site: There is insufficient car parking at Christie to accommodate inpatient vehicles.

‘Pay & Display’ car parking on site is very limited and the hospital encourages all visitors to travel on public transport wherever possible. If travelling by car, allow ample time to park. The main car park is in the front of the hospital off Oak Rd and a smaller one is found on Kinnard Rd.

Car parking charges are as follows:
· Up to 10 min – FREE
· Up to 4 hrs - £1.50
· Up to 8 hrs - £2.50
· Over 8 hrs - £10

Please note that there is a lot of car theft in the area, so it is advisable not to leave valuables in your vehicle.

General: The Young Oncology Unit (YOU).

Direct telephone: 0161 446 3960 or 0161 446 3961

No. of beds: 12 beds and 1 isolation room.

Age range: Teenagers and young adults, from 16-24 years.

Recreation:  The Oasis Room is a designated space for patients aged 16 and over and their friends.  This room is not for use by parents or any other visitors. The Oasis Room is equipped with a widescreen TV with Sky, air hockey game, football table, library, board games, piano, internet access and cold drinks machine. The Oasis Room is open 24 hours a day, although users are asked to keep the noise down after 9pm.

Learning: There are no school facilities available at Christie at present.   However Art and Music Therapists provide weekly sessions.

Additional information: The ward has five wireless laptop computers permanently available to patients. Each bed has access to a TV, video, Playstation 2, DVD player and stereo. Please ask a member of staff if this equipment is not in the room/by the bed. A selection of videos, DVDs, books and games are provided and patients are welcome to bring in their own, should they wish.

Meal times: These are generally at fixed times. Breakfast is as patients wake, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 5pm. The canteen is flexible and will try to accommodate requests.  Other foods available on the ward include: tinned soup, Pot Noodles, baked beans, cheese & crackers and ‘Build Up’ drinks.
 
Rounds: These are generally in the morning, around 8am.
 
Visiting times: The Young Oncology Unit has a 24-hour visiting policy. In respect for other patients and visitors, they do ask that no more than four visitors per patient visit at any one time unless by prior arrangement. They discourage visitors at tea time to ensure patients are able to eat their evening meal without distraction.  They also ask that evening visitors keep noise levels to a minimum. top of page

In the single side rooms there is a fold down bed for one carer to stay. There is a facility just outside the YOU, called Victoria House where family can also stay. There are six rooms available - five double en-suite rooms and one 4 bedded en-suite family room. There are full kitchen facilities, including washing machine and iron. People using Victoria House must bring their own provisions. This is for families only – patients are not allowed in at any time. The house is accessed by oncology staff on the YOU.

There is a Teens to 20’s group, based on the Young Oncology Unit, this meets once a month for social activities.  There is a patient representative group (The Christie Crew) that meets regularly.  A Survivors of Cancer (SOC) group which meets quarterly.  A parents' coffee morning group is currently being piloted on the Unit. 

There is a large complimentary therapy team within the hospital, treating patients and carers on and off the YOU.

There is a palliative care team within the hospital.

1 Team Leader
2 Youth Social Workers
1 Team Administrator

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