Our units & NHS partners
We work with NHS trusts
We are proud to be partnered with nine NHS hospital trusts. They all have a mobile cancer care unit and nurse support vehicle, while Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has two of both, one of which is our latest prototype unit called Christine. This is a larger mobile cancer unit with three treatment chairs and two small treatment rooms which extend hydraulically from the side of the unit.
Each mobile cancer care unit can treat up to four patients at a time and an average of 20 patients a day. They are all given an identity through a name inspired by, or in memory of, someone affected by cancer.
We also provide a nurse support vehicle to each NHS trust partner. These vehicles help the nursing teams to travel independently to and from the unit. They also allow nurses to have use of a dedicated vehicle to transport any additional supplies or equipment that may be required.
We work with NHS trusts
We are proud to be partnered with nine NHS hospital trusts. They all have a mobile cancer care unit and nurse support vehicle, while Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has two of both, one of which is our latest prototype unit called Christine. This is a larger mobile cancer unit with three treatment chairs and two small treatment rooms which extend hydraulically from the side of the unit.
Each mobile cancer care unit can treat up to four patients at a time and an average of 20 patients a day. They are all given an identity through a name inspired by, or in memory of, someone affected by cancer.
We also provide a nurse support vehicle to each NHS trust partner. These vehicles help the nursing teams to travel independently to and from the unit. They also allow nurses to have use of a dedicated vehicle to transport any additional supplies or equipment that may be required.
Our locations
Gloucestershire - Helen
Visits: Cinderford, Stroud and Cirencester 
Delivered 1,645 treatments last year
- The world’s first mobile cancer care unit
- Partnered with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Launched by charity patron, Sir Stirling Moss OBE, in February 2007
- Named Helen in memory of a friend of our charity founder, who sadly passed away from cancer
- Helen was re-launched as an upgraded unit in 2017 to mark Hope for Tomorrow’s 10th anniversary
- Based at Gloucester Royal Hospital
South Wiltshire – Kayleigh
Visits: Fordingbridge, Gillingham and Westbury 
Delivered 2,445 treatments last year
- Partnered with Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
- Launched by a dear friend of the charity, Murray Walker, in May 2012
- Kayleigh was named in memory of a young woman from Chippenham, who sadly passed away from cancer
- Based at Salisbury District Hospital
East Kent – Caron
Visits: Cheriton, Dover and Herne Bay 
Delivered 3,571 treatments last year
- Partnered with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
- Launched by Michael Keating, son of charity patron, Gloria Hunniford, OBE, in October 2013.
- Caron was named in memory of Caron Keating, Gloria’s daughter, who sadly passed away from cancer
- In July 2022, Gloria launched a new upgraded unit for the trust
- Based at Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Lincolnshire – Elaine
Visits: Louth, Spalding and Skegness 
Delivered 3,361 treatments last year
- Partnered with the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Launched by Phil Anyan, a senior member of the Mark Masons, in April 2014
- The name Elaine was chosen in memory of Phil’s wife who sadly passed away from cancer
- A new upgraded unit went into service in February 2023
- Based at Lincoln County Hospital
West Suffolk – Frisbey
Visits: Newmarket, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Thetford 
Delivered 2,540 treatments last year
- Partnered with the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- Launched by Martin Brundle, a Hope for Tomorrow patron, in March 2016
- The name Frisbey was chosen in memory of Martin’s grandmother who sadly passed away from cancer
- Based at West Suffolk Hospital
East Suffolk and North Essex – Maureen
Visits: Halstead, Manningtree, Stanway and Tiptree 
Delivered 3,011 treatments last year
- Partnered with the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Launched by Liz Burton in July 2016 and named in memory of her sister, Maureen Dore
- Maureen was a patient representative as part of the original mobile cancer care unit project team in 2006, with Dr Sean Elyan and charity founder, Christine Mills
- Based at Colchester General Hospital
North & West Yorkshire – Linda & Christine
Visits: Bingley, Ilkley, Settle and Skipton 
Delivered 8,284 treatments last year
- Partnered with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
- The trust has two mobile cancer care units – Linda and Christine
- Linda was launched in November 2018 by Wendy Booth and named in memory of Councillor Linda Conley, the late wife of Captain Dan Conley, who sadly passed away from cancer and was also a loyal supporter of the charity
- Christine, named in memory of Hope for Tomorrow’s founder the late Christine Mills MBE, was launched in November 2021
- This prototype unit is a larger mobile cancer unit with three treatment chairs and two small treatment rooms which extend hydraulically from the side of the unit.
- Both units are based at Airedale General Hospital
Norfolk – Amara
Visits: Attleborough, Beccles and Dereham
Delivered 1,023 treatments last year
- Partnered with Norfolk & Norwich University NHS Foundation Trust
- Officially launched in 2021
- Delivered to the trust on 22 October 2020
- Named Amara in memory of the wife of John Gillo, the Provincial Grand Master for Gloucestershire and Herefordshire
- Based at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
Norfolk - Jewel
Visits: Beccles, Bradwell, Caister, Lowestoft and Pakefield
Delivered 1,877 treatments last year
- Partnered with James Paget NHS Foundation Trust
- Officially launched in September 2022
- Jewel was fully-funded by Bristol Myers Squibb, who launched a competition for their employees to name the unit. Jewel Plummer Cobb’s research included work on the relationship between melanin and skin damage, and on the effects of hormones, ultraviolet light, and chemotherapy agents on cell division. She discovered that methotrexate was effective in the treatment of certain skin cancers, lung cancers, and childhood leukaemia. This drug is still being used in chemotherapy today
- Based at James Paget Hospital
How we work with the NHS
Each specialist mobile cancer care unit costs approximately £300,000 to build and it costs £212 a day to keep it on the road. We look after all of these costs which includes all servicing and maintenance costs, so that the NHS trusts can concentrate on doing what they do best – treating patients.
We look after the vehicles while the trusts employ the drivers and the nursing staff. This partnership approach allows us to work together to provide NHS patients with treatment by specialist care cancer teams in a convenient location closer to them.
If you are an NHS trust and want to find out more about how we can work with you please call Leanda Bickley on 01666 505055 or email leandabickley@hopefortomorrow.org.uk
It’s the most amazing piece of equipment
Patients can do their shopping, meet up with family and friends and attend other appointments. It means treatment fits into their everyday lives, rather than having to make their lives fit around treatment.
Christine – our latest prototype unit
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust is currently trialling our latest prototype unit, named Christine after Hope for Tomorrow’s founder Christine Mills, who herself passed away from cancer. Christine is a larger mobile cancer unit with three treatment chairs and two small treatment rooms which extend hydraulically from the side of the unit. She was designed to deliver outpatient clinics closer to patients. Airedale has set up new clinics and services including oncology urology, eHNA, oral clinics, stem cell information clinics and vague symptoms clinics on the unit.
We’re working closely with the team at Airedale to assess the impact of this new unit and will be reporting on progress later in 2023.