Cheshire Independent Issue 202

JUNE 2025 12 Independent HEALTH & WELLBEING THE new £34million Emergency and Urgent Care Campus at Stepping Hill Hospital is now open and a short opening cer- emony was held to mark the occasion. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust chair David Wakefield and chief executive Karen James joined representatives of the contractors Tilbury Douglas and hospital staff to mark the conclusion of the building project. Construction of the new campus at the Stockport hos- pital started in 2022 and has taken nearly three years. Extending from the hospi- tal’s old Emergency Depart- ment (A&E) the new building has meant major changes to the front face of the hospital, making it more welcoming and visually attractive. The work was also carried out to improve the experience for patients receiving emer- gency and urgent care. A hospital spokesperson said: “The design of the new campus is centred on patient needs, with the best pos- sible state-of-the-art facil- ities being made available for staff. “It includes new assess- ment, treatment and con- sultation areas for several key emergency and urgent care services including the Jeff beats deadly lung cancer Remarkable recovery: Je! Cook AN avid football and rugby league fan from Northwich has made a remarkable recovery from the most advanced type of lung cancer. Warrington Wolves and Manchester United fan Jeff Cook, 76, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in Feb- ruary 2019. Stage 4 cancer is the most advanced form of cancer and indicates that it has spread from the initial tumour site to other parts of the body. Jeff, who has been mar- ried to Carol for over 50 years, has two sons, Gavin and Martin. He gave up smoking more than 20 years ago. Towards the end of 2018, Jeff realised something might be wrong when, despite being prescribed antibiotics for a sore on the left side of his chest, this wasn’t getting any better. Jeff’s GP referred him to a chest consultant at Leighton Hospital in Crewe to discuss possible surgery. “The consultant at Leighton told me to prepare myself for bad news and confirmed I had advanced lung cancer,” says Jeff. “He consulted with his colleague Dr Woolf, and I was then told that I was a suitable candidate for a fairly new immu- notherapy treatment called pembrolizumab. “But first, I needed to have radiotherapy to target the tumour directly. Then, I attended the treatment unit at Leighton, initially once every three weeks and later once every six weeks for the pembrolizumab, which took about two hours to adminis- ter intravenously each time. “The staff were very wel- coming. The receptionist always gave me a cheery welcome, and before the Covid-19 pandemic, we even got tea and biscuits from one of the volunteers. The nurses always treated me well, too.” Je f f add s : “ The pembrolizumab was kind to my body, and I had no noticeable side effects from the treatment. After three or four treat- ments, I was leading a normal life again. I was on pembrolizumab for two years, during which time I had regular blood tests, review appointments and CT scans. The review appointments moved to being on the telephone dur- ing the pandemic. “Considering I had such an advanced cancer, and the survival statistics were not in my favour, I feel like the pembrolizumab has been a medical miracle. I’m able to live life to the full as a result. “I’m incredibly grateful to Dr Woolf and all the NHS staff who have helped me during my treatment and to the scientists and research- ers who helped to develop such a wonderful life-sav- ing drug.” Dr David Woolf added: “I am delighted that Jeff has had such a positive response to his treatment and is now cancer-free six years after his diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer and living life to the full. Stage 4 lung cancer remains very serious with average survival figures of less than a year. How- ever new treatments such as immunotherapy are a game changer for some of our patients. We still need to do better at diagnosing patients earlier though and continuing to develop new and better treatments.” Jeff and Carol enjoy going on holiday and taking short breaks. They also regularly take part in a fortnightly quiz night at their local cricket club. Jeff has been associ- ated with the scouting movement throughout his life; from cubs to being an assistant scout leader, he is a proud recipient of the Queen’s Scout award. He also enjoys spending time in his garden, feeding the birds and planting borders. £34m emergency upgrade officially opens children’s emergency depart- ment, mental health, and medical same day emer- gency care. “The ambulance drop-off area has also been remodelled. Additional funding for patient facilities at the campus has also been provided by Stock- port NHS Charity.” The clinical area of the cam- pus has increased, enabling more patients to receive safe care and treatment sooner. Karen James said: “It is fantastic to see the new campus open and running, providing the enhanced emer- gency and urgent care which are local population needs.”