Sydney Cancer Centre

About Lifehouse

Who we are

The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA will be a world-class cancer treatment and research facility providing integrated care to patients and carers, building on the services provided at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital – Sydney University precinct at Camperdown, Sydney.   A centre of excellence, The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA will integrate clinical care, research and education creating opportunities for innovative discoveries, compassionate holistic care and better outcomes for patients.   A charity, Lifehouse at RPA is a not-for-profit Public Benevolent institution. Income will be re-invested to continually innovate and improve services treating both public and private patients.

During 2013, the Sydney Cancer Centre and all its services will transition into the Lifehouse facility which will be open to public and private patients.

What we do

Creating Australia’s largest integrated cancer care facility, The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA will combine all facets of clinical care; surgery, medical and radiation oncology, research wellness and support services on an out-patient basis.   We will also provide screening programs, diagnosis and treatment, to through-care and post-treatment support.   Our aim is to increase patient participation in clinical trials from the current level because more trials lead to more breakthroughs and better cancer outcomes.

Our History

The Sydney Cancer Centre was established in 1996 and is based at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Camperdown. In addition to RPA the centre provides clinical services at Concord and Canterbury Hospitals as well as an outreach program at Dubbo Base Hospital.  The Sydney Cancer Centre Foundation was established to raise funds for patient care, research, education and capital works and its goal was to develop a comprehensive Cancer Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

The Centre delivered a business plan for the project to the NSW Government in June 2008 and in the 2008 Federal Government budget was allocated $50 million, over three years, to support the construction of the facility.
Professor Chris O'Brien was instrumental in convincing Government and other stakeholders to commit to a new integrated facility. He used his own diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour in 2006 as an opportunity to build momentum for the facilty, fighting for all cancer patients and their families.

The New South Wales State and Federal Governments combined commitment of $200 million was a wonderful endorsement of our vision for an internationally renowned, fully comprehensive, integrated cancer treatment, research and education facility in Sydney on the RPA/University of Sydney campus.
The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA will continue to work closely with NSW Health and the Sydney South West Area Health Service in planning the new facility and is undertaking a major fundraising drive to raise funds for the new facility.

Click here to see our Journey so far (PDF 1,174 KB).

Community Service Announcement
CEO Message
Timothy Dugan

I’m excited to say it’s all systems go here at Lifehouse with the construction of the new centre well under way. This extraordinary vision of the future of cancer treatment and care is made possible thanks to kind people like you.

Despite Sydney not having much of a summer this year with what seemed like endless downpours and storms, our building contractor Brookfield Multiplex has been able to work some magic and we are on track to see the facility completed to ground level in the next month.

Our team, too, is hard at work with operational planning in the lead up to opening. All Sydney Cancer Centre services will be moving over to Lifehouse in mid-2013 and, as you can imagine, it isn’t just about constructing a great facility – we need to be fully up and running so that patients are getting the very best care from day one.

With the opening date getting closer, we’re also starting to fit out our new centre with all the services required to run a facility of this size, like the installation of a trigeneration plant. Designed so we can use energy as efficiently as possible, the plant is one of the first of its kind in Australia. You can read more about this and other services here.

Bringing innovation and research together, in a supportive working environment and culture, Lifehouse will be a place where shared learnings mean greater care for all our patients and their families. We have just signed a contract for our own unique information system which will see Lifehouse become a truly paperless, digital hospital. We’ll offer the first fully-integrated electronic medical record system in Australia, making access to patients’ medical histories fast and efficient. Read about LOIS here.

On a final note, I am really proud to lead the Lifehouse team in the 2012 Sunsuper Ride To Conquer Cancer. Since we began training as a group, our numbers have grown each week and we now have more than 40 riding in our team. With six months’ training time remaining we’re hoping even more eager riders help us raise vital funds for cancer research, treatment and care. If you’d like to join our Lifehouse team, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you again for all your generous support of Lifehouse. I look forward to updating you again soon.

Timothy Dugan
Chief Executive Officer

About Lifehouse

Who we are

What we do

Our History

Community Service Announcement

CEO Message