New £2.6m radiotherapy machine to help improve care for county cancer patients

The radiotherapy team with the new Linear Accelerator L-R Mark Cowen, Stephen Fuller, Kayleigh Dawes, Erika Browett, Robson Mango, and Lauren Cox.

Hundreds of county cancer patients who need radiotherapy will benefit from a state-of-the-art new £2.6m machine at Northampton General Hospital.

The new Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine was funded by NHS England as part of a Government-initiative to improve cancer care across the country.

The cutting-edge new machine was delivered to the hospital last August and since then about £1m of estates work, fitting of associated equipment, and rigorous testing, has been undertaken to get it ready for use.

So far it has been used to deliver more than more than 1,500 targeted high-dose radiotherapy treatments to more than 100 patients over the first three months of this year.

Dr Mark Cowen, Head of Radiotherapy Physics at NGH, said: “The replacement equipment will bring improved reliability and the latest in radiotherapy technology to the county.

“We are one of the first centres in the UK to use a new form of advanced imaging (Varian’s HyperSight) which is a technological step-change in the image quality and speed that is possible during radiotherapy treatments.

“The machine itself looks like a large CT scanner, weighs seven tonnes, and can deliver precise doses of radiation to many different parts of the body with accuracy to within 1mm.

“We will use it, alongside our two older Linear Accelarators, to deliver approximately 22,000 treatments for 1,700 cancer patients each year.”

Consultant Clinical Oncologist, and NGH’s Radiotherapy Oncologist Lead, Dr Jenny Branagan, said: “We are delighted our oncology service now have access to some of the most up-to-date technology available to help in targeting and treating cancers.

“Radiotherapy plays a significant role in the management of the full spectrum of cancers and access to new, more modern equipment is an integral part of providing the best possible care for our patients.”

Radiotherapy treatments are delivered by a multi-disciplinary clinical team of Clinicians, Radiographers and Healthcare Scientists utilising advanced computer systems (including AI) and a multi-modality imaging to ensure each patient’s treatment is individually optimised and delivered safely.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust was one of five Midlands hospitals that all received new linear accelerator (LINAC) machines, funded by a £70 million government investment as part of its plans to improve cancer care through the Plan for Change announced last year. The new LINAC radiotherapy machines were allocated across England by Specialised Commissioning teams at NHS England, which will help to improve health inequalities by ensuring every radiotherapy service has the modern equipment needed to offer innovative radiotherapy treatments.