Students tour the new Velindre Cancer Centre

Some of the School of Pharmacy’s third year undergraduate MPharm students enjoyed a visit to the new Velindre Cancer Centre on the 20^th January.

As well as a walk around the construction site, where the skeleton of the building has already been erected, the students were invited to a talk from members of the pharmacy team to learn more about oncological pharmacy services.

The new cancer centre, scheduled for opening in spring 2027, will see a significant increase in capacity. It will be twice the size of the current centre, and with room for expansion if needed, to accommodate the growing need for cancer services in South Wales. A part of the plan includes an increased footprint for the pharmacy team, both physically and strategically. The new dispensary will see a conveyer belt installed and robots to pick prescriptions, freeing up the pharmacists and technicians for more specialist work such as employing their clinical skills and sitting on multidisciplinary teams. A pneumatic system will also link pharmacy to other departments for the quick and safe delivery of items.

The centre itself is a huge project, with the goal of becoming not only a world-leading centre for cancer patients but also by becoming the most sustainable healthcare setting in the UK. Designed using state of the art materials, Velindre will be a warmer, more welcoming space for patients undergoing treatment, with coffee shops, lounges and beautiful grounds sitting alongside the cutting-edge technology and world class staff required to help the patients on their journey.

Accompanying the students on behalf of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences were Professor Andy Westwell and Rhys Thomas. Prof. Westwell commented, “Many thanks to the Velindre engagement team for hosting such an interesting and insightful visit. Our students hugely benefitted from exposure to clinical translation of the cancer therapies that they study in the classroom into routine practice. They were particularly interested in the challenges and opportunities that modern oncology pharmacy brings, and the possibilities for improved patient care offered by the innovative new Velindre Cancer Centre.”