Every week, hundreds of people from north Oxfordshire, West Northamptonshire and Warwickshire the  make the journey to the Brodey Cancer Centre at Horton General Hospital. They go for chemotherapy and lower GI and breast cancer consultations. Many of the patients are already exhausted. Many are frightened. The last thing they need is a facility that adds to their burden rather than easing it.

That is exactly why I have launched a petition calling on Oxfordshire County Council and NHS Integrated Care Board to commit to a purpose-built, properly resourced home for the Brodey Cancer Centre — one that reflects the dignity and quality of care that every cancer patient deserves.

The Brodey Cancer Centre occupies space at Horton General that was never designed for modern oncology. The layout is cramped, and the facilities fall short of what patients and clinical staff need.  The environment does not meet the standard we should expect for people undergoing some of the most difficult treatment of their lives.

This is not a criticism of the dedicated nurses, oncologists, and support staff who work there — they are exceptional. It is a criticism of the physical environment they have been asked to work in, that is no longer adequate given that we have an ageing population and cancer patients are growing in number.

A purpose-built cancer centre for north Oxfordshire would mean:

• Better clinical outcomes. Modern oncology facilities are designed around patient flow, infection control, and the integration of diagnostic and treatment services. Better environments support better care.
• Shorter journeys. Many Banbury patients currently travel to Oxford for treatments that could be delivered locally if the right facilities existed. A new centre would bring more services closer to home.
• Dignity for patients. Private consultation rooms, comfortable waiting areas, and accessible parking are not luxuries — they are the baseline that cancer patients deserve.
• Retention of clinical staff. Good facilities attract and retain the specialist staff that north Oxfordshire needs.

My electoral division has a higher-than-average proportion of residents on lower incomes. For many families, travelling to Oxford for cancer treatment means lost working hours, childcare costs, and transport expenses that quickly become unmanageable. Keeping cancer services in Banbury — and improving them — is a matter of health equity, not just convenience.

I have set a target of 500 signatures to present to the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board. Every signature strengthens the case that north Oxfordshire residents will not accept further delays to the re-accommodation project.

Sign the petition on this website — it takes less than a minute. Then share it with your neighbours, your family, and anyone you know who has been touched by cancer.

The Brodey Cancer Centre has served this community for decades. It deserves a future that matches the dedication of the people who work there and the courage of the patients who depend on it.

To be clear: I am being treated for stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the Brodey Centre. However, the new accommodation for the cancer centre isn't going to be commissioned until well after my cancer has dealt its final blow.

Paul-Austin Sargent is the County Councillor for Banbury Grimsbury & Castle. You can contact him at [email protected] or via the contact page.