CANCER surgery in Worcester could be saved as health chiefs call in a top Government health tsar to help advise them on the fate of the service.

A controversial proposal by the Three Counties Cancer Network (3CCN) involves creating a single centre for the surgery serving Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

The recommendation by 3CCN is that a “single specialist multi-disciplinary team” is based at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester instead of rival Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, although no formal decision has yet been taken.

The idea sparked outrage from cancer patients, hospital bosses and consultants in Worcestershire who felt patient care would suffer if local people had to travel to Gloucester for treatment.

Jan Stubbings, chairman of 3CCN and chief executive of NHS Gloucestershire, has called in the help of Government cancer tsar Mike Richards to look into the whether a single centre will be bad for patients.

She wrote to Paul Bates, chief executive of NHS Worcestershire and Chris Bull, chief executive of NHS Herefordshire on Friday following earlier talks with them.

The letter urges the two hospital trusts – Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – to work together to find a solution.

The final decision will be based on a combination of advice from the National Cancer Team, the expert panel review, patient feedback and talks with clinicians and between the two trusts.

Paul Crawford, aged 67, of Highfield Close, Droitwich, who is recovering from throat cancer, led calls for the service to remain in Worcester after he had life-saving surgery two years ago at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

He said: “I think there is a chance it could be saved. I think 3CCN has realised that it is more important for care to come to the patients than the other way around. In simple terms it’s a battle we have won – now we have to win the war.”

John Rostill, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The original recommendation from the review group will not be implemented.

“Professor Mike Richards, the cancer tsar will be asked to undertake work in greater detail than has been the case so far, to consider the consequences of a single site for head and neck cancer service.”