Introducing the SURE Unit

We've teamed up with Friends of ANCHOR on a joint £2.5m fundraising appeal to create a clinical unit designed to improve diagnosis times for urological cancers.

The SURE Unit, formerly the Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDC), will be located within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and will enable more people with a suspected urological cancer to be seen quicker, and to have all their scans and diagnostic tests carried out during a single visit to hospital.

The unit’s name is an acronym for Swift Urological Response and Evaluation.

Plans for the unit, which includes a fit-out, new services and extra staffing, are not currently covered by the NHS, prompting UCAN and Friends of ANCHOR to step in.

One in every five men will be diagnosed with a urological cancer, which includes prostate, penis and testicular cancer as well as kidney and bladder. If cancer is diagnosed too late, it can advance to a stage where it cannot be cured – and current waiting times are too long.

The combined fundraising effort by UCAN and Friends of ANCHOR will set up the facility, which will be used by both men and women.

As well as furnishing the unit, the fundraising will allow for the purchase of diagnostic equipment – and it will ensure additional staff are drafted in, removing the bottlenecks and streamlining the patient pathway. The joint commitment by the charities will stand for the first three years of operation, after which NHS Grampian will take on the running costs.

The SURE Unit will further enhance Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a hub of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of urological cancers, while making more effective use of clinicians’ time and helping attract the best medical practitioners to our region.

Surgery capacity will be improved thanks to increased adoption of an innovative new laser treatment which can be done using local anaesthetic rather than general. The procedure, known as TULA, takes 15 minutes and patients can go home the same day.

Friends of ANCHOR, which is known for its wellbeing support within the ANCHOR Unit as well as its funding commitment to equipment and research, will have a daily presence in the unit.

Thank you for your support, which makes this unique collaboration for patients possible.

Let's improve cancer outcomes in the North of Scotland.

Donate simply and safely via Justgiving or scan the QR code below.

For a cash donation or bank transfer, please contact Gayle Stephen on g.stephen@abdn.ac.uk or call 01224 557950 for the bank details. Alternatively, if you or your company would like a presentation on our plans please contact Gayle using the contact details above or download an information leaflet here.

SURE Project newsletter

The NHS Grampian Urology Department delivers Urology inpatient and outpatient services to the populations of the Grampian, Orkney and Shetland health board areas. In addition, the department also delivers selected services to patients from Highland and Tayside.At present, the service is predominantly delivered from the Urology inpatient department within the Phase 2 building at Aberdeen […]

Thank you: NHS Grampian Charity

An extremely generous donation from NHS Grampian Charity brings UCAN and Friends of Anchor closer to the £3.3 million fundraising target for the SURE Unit. NHS Grampian Charity have donated £464,000 which will be used to purchase the advanced medical equipment and furniture for the SURE Unit. The SURE Unit will double the current capacity […]

SURE Unit update

Everyone at UCAN is delighted that construction will being next month on the SURE Unit (Swift Urological Response Evaluation). The SURE Unit will be a one-stop diagnostic centre for people with symptoms of urological cancers and will ensure they are seen quicker. This project is a unique collaboration between UCAN, Friends of Anchor and NHS […]

Kick the Ball event update

UPDATE: We were delighted to be the chosen charity for the Kick the Ball event earlier this year. An event incorporating a 100+mile cycle stopping off at some of the Highland League Football Clubs. The event raised an amazing 🎉£55,256.12 🎉. Huge thank you to Ian Ord, Mike Macaulay and Pat Machray for organising and […]

Two of the north-east’s leading cancer charities have teamed up to create a unit designed to improve diagnosis times for urological cancers.

UCAN and Friends of ANCHOR have joined forces to raise the £2.5m needed to open a one-stop diagnostic centre for people with symptoms of urological cancers. The SURE Unit, formerly the Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDC), will be located within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and will enable more people with a suspected urological cancer to be seen […]

Thank you: Rotary Club of Dyce

We’re delighted once again to be one of the charities to receive a donation from Rotary Club of Dyce Aberdeen. The support of Rotary Clubs has been a huge boost to our funds over the years. Pictured receiving the donation of £1,000 from past president Malcolm Argent is UCAN Director David Dent. This donation will […]

Thank you: Colin Grant

The Colin Grant Invitational Golf Day held on Friday 12 July raised a whopping £3,596.70 for UCAN’s Rapid Diagnostic Centre (now the SURE Unit). Thank you again to Colin for continuing to choose UCAN as the charity to benefit from this event, to everyone involved with McDonald Golf Club, Ellon and to all the teams […]

My UCAN story-Alister Fair

In this, the first of three videos for UCAN, prostate cancer sufferer Alister Fair reveals the shock of discovering his condition and outlines why a Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDC) will be a life changer for so many people. Alister Fair tells his own cancer story in support of a Rapid Diagnosis Centre from StreamTelevision on […]

Introducing the SURE Unit