Thousands of cancer patients in England are set to benefit from faster, safer treatment as a result of a nationwide rollout of cutting-edge radiotherapy machines.
Funded through a £70m government investment, the new linear accelerator (LINAC) machines will be installed at 28 hospitals, significantly enhancing capacity and reducing delays in care.
The initiative forms part of the government’s Plan for Change, aimed at modernising cancer services and cutting waiting lists.
The upgraded equipment will replace ageing machines, many over a decade old, helping to prevent cancellations caused by equipment failure and saving an estimated 13,000 appointments from being lost to breakdowns.
Funded through a £70m government investment, the new linear accelerator machines will be installed at 28 hospitals,
From August, the new LINAC radiotherapy machines will be introduced to hospitals across the country.
By March 2027, the investment is expected to deliver up to 27,500 additional treatments each year, with up to 4,500 patients receiving their first cancer treatment within 62 days of referral.
The advanced technology incorporated within the new equipment enables greater precision in targeting tumours, particularly in hard-to-treat areas such as the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
This not only improves treatment effectiveness but also reduces potential damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Furthermore, the machines have the potential to halve the number of hospital visits some patients require.
By March 2027, the investment is expected to deliver up to 27,500 additional treatments each year
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: "There is a revolution taking place in medical technology which can transform treatment for cancer patients. 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."
The rollout is being prioritised in hospitals still using treatment machines older than ten years, in a move designed to address health inequalities and ensure all radiotherapy services have access to the latest technology. The investment will also increase the availability of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), a highly targeted treatment capable of delivering higher doses with increased precision.
NHS National linical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, welcomed the development, commenting: "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."
The allocation of new LINAC machines has been overseen by NHS England’s specialised commissioning teams to ensure equitable distribution and modernisation across services.
The rollout is being prioritised in hospitals still using treatment machines older than ten years
This investment in radiotherapy forms part of a broader strategy to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways. Enhanced performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard saw an additional 4,000 patients receive an all-clear or a definitive diagnosis within four weeks in March 2025, compared to the previous year. Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) have also delivered nearly 2.5 million tests and scans in high street and other accessible locations.
The radiotherapy upgrade follows the recent rollout of 13 new DEXA scanners across England, enabling 29,000 additional bone scans annually, as part of the government’s continued efforts to modernise the NHS estate and expand diagnostic capacity.
Since June 2024, over three million additional NHS appointments have been delivered, surpassing the government’s target of two million extra operations, scans and appointments. Alongside this, more than 8.3 million extra appointments are being created annually as 1,000 GP surgeries receive bricks-and-mortar upgrades to modernise facilities and improve access.