Mon Oct 27 10:00:00 UTC 2025: Headline: Cancer Patient Fears for Life as Treatment Faces Relocation
Chislehurst, South East London – A cancer patient from Chislehurst is expressing deep concern and disappointment over plans to move vital cancer services from the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Orpington to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, a journey of approximately 40 minutes.
Matthew Venner, 42, who is battling stage four Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, currently receives regular treatment at the PRUH. However, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees both hospitals, is considering centralizing all haematology inpatient cancer care at its Denmark Hill location.
Mr. Venner fears the longer journey will endanger his health and rob him of precious time with his two children. “I feel let down. I feel disappointed,” he said. “They haven’t taken into any consideration the discomfort of that journey. Will that journey be in an immune, safe environment?” He emphasized the importance of the PRUH’s proximity, allowing his children to visit him during his inpatient stays. The distance to King’s College Hospital, he stated, would make such visits impossible.
King’s College Hospital spokesperson stated that the proposals “are being developed by hospital clinicians, with the aim of improving care for patients accessing haematology inpatient services at the PRUH,” highlighting existing arrangements where some patients already travel to King’s for specialist treatments.
However, the proposed move has sparked significant opposition. A petition urging the trust to maintain specialist inpatient haematology cancer care at the PRUH has garnered nearly 25,000 signatures. The public awaits further developments as the NHS trust deliberates on the future of cancer services in the region.
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