New cutting-edge radiotherapy machines are being rolled out to every region in the country, allowing thousands of cancer patients to get faster and safer cancer treatment.

28 hospitals will now use new linear accelerator (LINAC) machines, which will help to reduce delays to treatment and in some cases, could reduce the number of hospital visits a patient needs to make by half.

It is hoped the machines will save as many as 13,000 appointments from being lost to equipment breakdown.
 

Funded by a £70 million government investment, the machines will be rolled out from August. 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.

The machines are safer for patients and can more precisely target tumours, causing less damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

The tech will be prioritised in hospitals which are currently using outdated treatment machines older than 10 years.

Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting said: "There is a revolution taking place in medical technology which can transform treatment for cancer patients. But NHS hospitals are forced to use outdated, malfunctioning equipment thanks to 14 years of underinvestment under the previous government.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.

"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."

NHS national clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said: "Radiotherapy is essential for many cancer patients, so it’s great news that the investment in new machines means that some will need fewer rounds of treatment, as we bring in more sophisticated techniques.

"These machines will deliver more precise treatment for patients, which helps them to recover sooner, as well as enabling the NHS to treat people more efficiently as we continue in our efforts to catch and treat more cancers faster."