A CALL for Manchester's Christie Cancer Hospital to be turned into a flagship surgery unit as well as one for radiotherapy and chemotherapy has come from Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans.

Eleven MPs of all parties, including the Tory front bencher, have signed a Commons motion after the institution's designation as a flagship cancer therapy centre.

But they go on to call for its surgery facilities to be upgraded to become the region's number one specialist cancer hospital.

The motion, put down on the Commons Order Paper - the daily parliamentary agenda sent to all Ministers, MPs and Senior Civil Servants - says: "We congratulate The Christie Hospital NHS Trust on its outstanding achievements in the fight against cancer.

"We recognise The Christie's significant strengths in the delivery of specialist cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

"We urge the Government to make resources available to enhance the Christie's surgical facilities by the development of on site intensive care beds, thereby helping The Christie to achieve redesignation as a specialist surgical cancer centre for the North-west."

Surgery facilities at The Christie, in Withington, south Manchester, are under threat because of the lack of intensive care beds at the hospital.

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