Radiotherapy machines 'lie idle'

By Simon Cox,
Reporter, Five Live Report: Cancer Care Unplugged

Some machines are not being used, the survey found

State-of-the-art radiotherapy machines are lying idle in NHS hospitals, a BBC investigation has found.

A report by the Royal College of Radiologists, commissioned by Five Live, found 10% of machines in the 60 UK centres were not being used.

The total cost of the machines is £150m, with some of the funding coming from lottery money.

The college said the survey findings were "no surprise". The government acknowledged there were problems.

The present radiotherapy service is inadequate Michael Williams, Royal College of Radiologists Unnecessary treatment given

The survey found Maidstone Hospital had two brand new machines that did not work for a year.

This delay is vital as the machines only have a 10-year life.

It also found that over 60% of the machines were not using new software that allows doctors to focus on the tumours and not damage healthy tissue.

Ipswich Hospital uses this new software IMRT on all its head and neck cancer cases.

'Better than it was'

Dot West, has been treated using IMRT and says it had a dramatic effect.

She said: "I feel very lucky to have this treatment and I think it should be more widespread."

"If I have this treatment there is far less chance of me losing my right eye and also further brain damage."

The findings of the investigation came as no surprise to the Royal College of Radiologists.

The college's vice president Michael Williams said services have improved, but that they still are not up to scratch.

"The present radiotherapy service is inadequate. People are reluctant to admit how bad the situation is because they say it's a lot better than it was," he said.

The Department of Health acknowledges there are problems with radiotherapy waiting times and ministers are currently studying recommendations from the national radiotherapy advisory group on the future development of radiotherapy.

A spokesman for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: "These were replacement machines which took six months longer to install than we'd hoped.

"At no time was patient care or waiting times compromised as the old machines ran right up until the new machines went live."

The Five Live Report: Cancer Care Unplugged will be broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live at 1100 BST on Sunday, 8 April.