An American healthcare group is opening a private cancer hospital in central London, aiming to attract wealthy patients from across Europe and the Middle East.
Cleveland Clinic is building the 81,000 sq ft cancer facility next to its 184-bed hospital in Belgravia, with rooms overlooking the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
It will offer a “one stop shop” service for all types of cancer care including surgery and radiotherapy, with world-renowned specialists being recruited to provide the “most advanced” cancer treatments possible.
How the interior of the cancer clinic will look
Cleveland Clinic, which was founded in Ohio in 1921, runs 23 hospitals and 280 outpatient facilities and consistently ranks among the best hospitals and research hubs in the world.
Its hospitals are mostly in the US but the company has expanded internationally in recent years. In 2022 it opened the 184-bed hospital in Belgravia offering services including heart surgery. It also has outpatient clinics in Moorgate and Portland Place in the capital, as well as hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Canada.
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Cleveland Clinic said the new specialist cancer hospital in London would meet growing demand for advanced cancer care, amid long NHS waiting lists and difficulties accessing specialist cancer treatments. Construction will begin this autumn, with the hospital due to open at the end of 2027.
As well as attracting British patients who are disillusioned with long NHS waits for cancer treatment, the company expects the hospital to become an international hub for patients from other nations, many of whom presently fly to the US seeking the best cancer care.
Patients treated at the hospital will have their own rooms
Dr Alex Adjei, the chief of Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Institute, said the new cancer base in London would attract patients “from many countries”. He said: “The vision is to bring the quality of care that Cleveland Clinic is known for to Europe, so that patients don’t have to fly all the way to America.
“With cancer you do much better if you’re at home. It’s a stressful disease, so when you have to be in a foreign land, food might be different and the environment is different. It’s not ideal.
“Our vision is for anyone diagnosed with cancer to have access to the most advanced care in a way that is accessible for them and now we are bringing that to London. Our focus is on delivering the most effective treatments to achieve long-term survival and improve patients’ quality of life.”
Record numbers of patients in the UK are paying for private cancer treatment
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The hospital will offer surgery and advanced treatment for a wide range of cancers and also act as a research base, with a focus on improving access to clinical trials and developing new drugs. Most of the doctors working at the hospital will be from the UK, splitting their time with NHS work. They will collaborate with cancer specialists at other Clevelend Clinic sites in Abu Dhabi and the US.
Dr Tom Mihaljevic, the Cleveland Clinic chief executive, said: “We see London as the capital of the world, it is a very interesting market for us. We are an international organisation. When it comes to cancer and cancer treatment, access to care is critical. Time to diagnosis and treatment are critical determinants of outcomes.”
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When people are diagnosed with cancer, they “rush to the place where they can get care the quickest”, Mihaljevic said, and the new clinic aims to ensure they can get it “closer to home”. He added: “We have quite a few international patients who now travel to London to get care from the Cleveland Clinic in London. We have patients from the Middle East, from Asia. The quality of care is identical to the care we offer in the US, but it is easier for them to get to London than the US.”
Record numbers of patients in the UK are paying for private cancer treatment, with 350,000 treatments or tests delivered by the independent sector each year.
Private cancer treatment costs vary significantly. Surgery typically ranges from £5,000 to £15,000, while chemotherapy can be up to £2,500 per session, and radiotherapy is between £5,000 and £15,000.