Cancer patients have seen hospital stays reduced by 11 days in a Harrow hospital, a nurse consultant has said.

A two-year project trial at the London North West University Hospitals NHS Trust, which serves Harrow and Brent, saved around £176,000 in costs keeping recovering patients longer in hospital.

Funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, the scheme at St Mark’s Hospital in Harrow helped complex colorectal cancer patients leave hospital quicker after surgery.

In it, cancer patients are provided with exercise programmes, nutritional information and psychological support before they have surgery.

By increasing patients’ physical fitness, this prehabilitation can reduce post-treatment complications and the length of hospital stays, improving recovery.

Physiotherapist Alice Finch, who was part of the St Mark’s cancer team, said there have been “fantastic results” and said it was “phenomenal” that the programmes have reduced hospital length stay.

She said: “Prehab and physiotherapy after surgery significantly improve patients’ quality of life. There is a huge need for this service to continue.”