The Priory’s Highbury Centre in Birmingham

The Priory’s purpose-built Highbury Centre is bright, modern and fully equipped with the latest technology. The centre is staffed by a dedicated cancer care team, there to support each patient throughout every aspect of their treatment journey. Highbury provides patients with an individualised, integrated care package, and services are delivered on both an in-patient and out-patient basis.

The Priory’s Highbury Centre has been recognised for its excellence in providing an excellent cancer care environment, having been awarded a level 5 Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM). This is the highest level available - illustrating the commitment of the Highbury team to delivering outstanding quality cancer care to patients. 

Highbury is a busy cancer centre providing comprehensive care to patients presenting with a wide range of conditions, including cancers of the bowel and bladder, lymphomas, myeloma and neurological cancers. We have the capacity to treat most tumour sites, including those of the head and neck at the centre.  

We often treat patients after they’ve had surgery as part of their pathway, providing them with a range of systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACTs), in particular, chemotherapy either for radical curative treatment or palliative care.

Our patients experience a range of treatments in a supportive and comfortable setting. This includes o chemotherapy, immunotherapy and blood product support in one of our eight dedicated chemotherapy pods each of which has its own accompanying triage assessment area/mini gym. Each pod has an entertainment centre and offers patients privacy if desired.

We also have excellent inpatient facilities for those requiring more inpatient care with six comfortable inpatient bedrooms, all of which are en-suite. Currently we are offering in patient chemotherapy on a planned basis. We aim to provide a bed within the hospital for short term emergency support where suitable, care will be provided by highly skilled and professional nursing staff at all times.

In the event of an oncological emergency, one of our chemotherapy nurses and consultants are on call 24-hour a day, so patients can contact us at any time if they’re concerned. We will perform a triage assessment with them over the phone to ascertain whether they need to come to The Priory Hospital for admission or further tests or investigation or to support a suitable referral to another healthcare provider.

The emphasis at Highbury is on multidisciplinary team working and combining specialist knowledge in order to offer patients a holistic approach to their care.  

We also have onsite physiotherapy facilities which offer a place where patients can undergo ‘prehabilitation’ to improve fitness   before undergoing their chemotherapy treatment.  Our physiotherapists carry out a comprehensive assessment to work out a tailored exercise program to help ensure that a patient is well prepared before, during and after their treatment – which has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes. 

There are several pathways to referral, from referral by a GP, healthcare professional, or consultant surgeon. If you are unsure staff at the unit are happy to provide information on the main referral routes.

Once a patient is referred to the centre they don’t go on a waiting list for treatment, their preparatory care starts right away. All patients enter the centre via a dedicated patient entrance rather than having to come in through the main hospital entrance.

At their first visit patients will generally see the appropriate specialist consultant for their condition and these appointments will take place in Highbury’s specialist consultation rooms.

All treatment pathways differ. Treatment pathways may include systemic anti-cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and others require only surgery and sometimes with or without radiotherapy. Sometimes chemotherapy is given before surgery and sometimes after depending on the cancer being treated.  

• Highbury has leading cancer consultants, haematologists, oncologists both clinical and medical and highly skilled experienced nurses. All have extensive expertise in a wide range of cancers.
• We offer quick access to appointments and treatment as well as direct access to state of the art diagnostic facilities including an MRI suite and imaging centre for CT scans and ultrasound scans.
• Highbury has a family-centred approach to patient care. We understand cancer has a big impact on the whole family – and that the family are a primary source of support for the patient, so wherever possible we extend our support to them.
• We offer comfortable quiet areas with sofas in which we can talk to patients and their family away from a typical clinical environment. Patients and visitors are also welcome to enjoy spending time in our beautiful well-maintained garden. As far as possible we operate an open visiting policy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have restricted visiting in certain circumstances
• Patients attending Highbury will always see a site specialised consultant. In some cases, patients may be assigned a designated specialist nurse who will also be closely involved in the patient's care. This relationship is key for providing patients with psych-social support and continuity of care
• Highbury Centre holds the highest-level Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM) illustrating that the centre is: welcoming and accessible to all, respects a patient’s dignity and privacy, supports comfort and well-being, offers choice and personal control, and listens to a patient’s voice.
• The cancer unit is manned by expert staff with the ability to support patients 24 hours a day. 
• Highbury is well situated for transport links and has a free patient and visitor car park.