Glasgow Neuro-Oncology Service Named UK Centre of Excellence
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's adult brain tumour team receives prestigious Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, enhancing care across the West of Scotland.
By Kirsty Lennox
••5 min read
AI
Generic image of advanced medical scanning equipment in a laboratory setting.
The adult neuro-oncology service at the Institute of Neurological Sciences in Glasgow has been designated a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence, recognising its leading role in brain tumour care across the West of Scotland.
A specialist NHSGGC team dedicated to caring for individuals with brain tumours throughout the West of Scotland has this week been acknowledged as one of the UK’s foremost neuro-oncology services. The adult neuro-oncology service, based at the Institute of Neurological Sciences (INS), has achieved Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status following a thorough evaluation of the treatment, care, and research opportunities available to patients. Glasgow is among six UK neuro-oncology centres to receive this designation this year, joining 14 centres previously recognised. This award means that specialist brain tumour services for both adults and children on the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus now hold Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, as the Royal Hospital for Children received its paediatric designation in 2025.
The adult designation was awarded after an expert-led review that examined the entire brain tumour pathway, incorporating patient feedback gathered by The Brain Tumour Charity. Reviewers assess services against established standards for treatment, care, and research before granting Centre of Excellence status. The Glasgow team received particular commendation for its exceptional neuroimaging service, its innovative and rapidly advancing neuropathology provision, dedicated neurology services, and a clinically significant international trials portfolio. The successful application was spearheaded by Dr Emanuela Molinari, Consultant Neurologist, and Dr Willie Stewart, Consultant Neuropathologist, who collaborated with colleagues from across Glasgow’s multidisciplinary neuro-oncology service to showcase the extensive work undertaken throughout the patient pathway.
“
"This is a real team achievement. Our clinical nurse specialists, allied health professionals and colleagues across every specialty have worked together with a shared goal, and that teamwork is reflected in the experience of our patients. A brain tumour diagnosis brings a period of huge uncertainty for patients and their families. Suddenly they are navigating a complex journey and meeting many different specialists, often while trying to understand what happens next. Having the standard of the service independently reviewed and recognised can provide some reassurance at a frightening time. Ultimately, patients won’t judge us by a designation, but by the care they experience. If this recognition can help make the start of that journey a little easier, that is hugely valuable."
The Glasgow service integrates specialists including neurosurgeons, oncologists, neurologists, neuropathologists, neuroradiologists, and neuropsychologists, alongside clinical nurse specialists and allied health professionals. Individual patient cases are discussed weekly at a multidisciplinary team meeting, facilitating collaborative planning and delivery of care. The service supports patients across a broad geographical area, encompassing Lanarkshire and the islands, with team members working across multiple sites, including the QEUH campus and the Beatson Cancer Centre.
“
"Being recognised as a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence is recognition and due reward for the exceptional efforts of our multidisciplinary team. When we began the application, we asked colleagues from across the service to provide evidence of the work they were doing. What came back were large volumes of exceptionally good material. In the end, one of our biggest challenges was deciding which examples of excellence we could actually fit into the application. But what was particularly valuable was bringing the whole team together and giving us the opportunity to stand back, look at what we have achieved and think about where we go next. This isn’t the end of that process. We want to keep improving the service we provide for patients."
The review highlighted advancements within the Glasgow service, such as sophisticated neuroimaging and innovations in molecular diagnostics. Dr Molinari also noted the expansion of the clinical nurse specialist team as a significant recent development, while identifying strengthened allied health professional provision as an area for future focus. Looking ahead, the team is concentrating on developments that could practically benefit patients. Dr Stewart anticipates that progress in molecular diagnostics may reduce the time for final integrated diagnoses from approximately three weeks to a few days, enabling patients to access appropriate treatment sooner. Dr Molinari is keen to advance prehabilitation strategies and further research into patient-reported outcomes, aiming to enhance understanding of patients’ symptoms and quality of life alongside tumour treatment.
Craig Broadfoot, Interim Director of Regional Services at NHSGGC, stated: “This is an outstanding achievement and I would like to congratulate everyone across our neuro-oncology services who has contributed to it. Centre of Excellence status is important recognition of the expertise, dedication and teamwork that goes into caring for people with brain tumours across the West of Scotland, often at an incredibly difficult time in their lives. I am particularly pleased that with our paediatric neuro-oncology service already holding the designation, both adult and children’s services on the QEUH campus are now recognised as Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence. The team should be enormously proud of this recognition, but what comes through just as strongly is their determination to keep improving services for patients and families in the years ahead.”
The Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence programme, launched in 2021, originated from Dame Tessa Jowell’s advocacy for every individual diagnosed with a brain tumour to have access to excellent treatment, care, and research opportunities, irrespective of their location. Nicky Huskens, Chief Executive of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, commented: “Congratulations to the team at Glasgow. This award is a testament to the hard work of an incredible team working above and beyond to deliver a world-class brain tumour service. Designation as a Centre of Excellence means more than just excellent care – it is a commitment to constantly improving, going further and faster for this patient group.”
