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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Health
Megan Howe

Six London NHS Trusts set to benefit from 'cutting-edge' radiotherapy machines

Six London NHS Trusts are set to benefit from new “cutting-edge” technology which will help doctors to target tumours with greater precision.

It comes as part of a £70 million Government investment to bring near accelerator (Linac) machines to the UK by August.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the new technology would "free up capacity so that thousands more patients are treated on time".

Linac machines are being prioritised in hospitals where existing machinery is over a decade old.

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust; University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust, will all receive upgraded scanners.

The latest technology is safer for patients than older radiotherapy machines, and can more closely target tumours and cause less damage to health tissue. Machines are particularly effective with harder to reach areas of the body, like the chest and pelvis.

The Department for Health and Social Care claims the new Linac machines could reduce the number of hospital visits patients have to make for radiotherapy treatment.

It says that by March 2027, up to 27,500 additional treatments per year will be delivered, including up to 4,500 receiving their first treatment for cancer within 62-days of referral.

Mr Streeting said: "There is a revolution taking place in medical technology which can transform treatment for cancer patients.

A Magnetic Resonance Linear Accelerator (MR Linac) machine, a machine use for radiotherapy, at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Archive)

"But NHS hospitals are forced to use outdated, malfunctioning equipment thanks to 14 years of under-investment under the previous government.

"Thanks to the investment this Government is making in our NHS, we will provide more cancer patients with world-class, cutting-edge care."

He added: "By reducing the number of hospital visits required and preventing cancelled appointments, these state-of-the-art radiotherapy machines free up capacity so that thousands more patients are treated on time.

"As a cancer survivor, I know just how important timely treatment is.

"These machines are part of the investment and modernisation that will cut waiting times for patients, through our plan for change."

Charity Macmillan Cancer described the announcement as an "exciting step forward for cancer treatment in England".

Kate Seymour, head of external affairs at the charity, added: "Many people across the country are facing long delays for care but today proves that better is possible.

"Investment in cutting-edge technology is essential to bring down waiting times and help more people with cancer get the best care the UK has to offer, whoever and wherever they are."

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