Two advanced linear accelerators installed at Leeds Cancer Centre

Published: 25-Jun-2013

Medipass Healthcare installs Elekta Versa HD systems as part of managed equipment services contract

Managed Equipment Services (MES) provider, Medipass Healthcare, has installed two recently-launched Versa HD radiotherapy systems from Elekta as part of a contract at the Leeds Cancer Centre.

Cancer patients referred to the £220m unit situated on the campus of St James’s University Hospital, will soon benefit from the acquisition of one of the most-advanced linear accelerators in the world.

Versa HD, featuring a revolutionary combination of speed and accuracy, is designed to improve patient care and treat a broader spectrum of cancers. It is expected that the radiotherapy department at the Leeds Cancer Centre will begin treating patients with the equipment next month July.

The Managed Equipment Service in Leeds is provided by Medipass Healthcare to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as part of a 15-year equipment concession in partnership with the project company St James’s Oncology SPC.

Stewart MacDuff, manager of the Medipass MES in Leeds said, “This ground-breaking installation was only possible because we have such a close working relationship between Medipass and our project partners – St James’s Oncology SPC, the teaching hospitals trust, and Elekta.”

David Rolfe, chief executive of Medipass Healthcare, added: “Keeping our hospital partners at the forefront of medical technology has always been our goal. With this initiative Medipass has proven that its MES is not only economically beneficial, but that by working closely together with our project company, our hospital partners, and the major equipment manufacturers, we can truly revolutionise patient care.”

The linear accelerators had originally been planned for replacement in 2015. John Muolo, director of Medipass, explained: “Replacement was brought forward to take advantage of this rare opportunity for the trust and its patients. Knowing that Elekta was positioned to unveil its most advanced technology to date, we worked closely with the trust to allow for early installation of these new linacs. Working in close partnership with the trust’s contracts management, medial physics, and radiotherapy clinical teams, the installations were scheduled within a tight time frame, within a very busy clinical service.”

Vivian Cosgrove, head of radiotherapy physics at St James’s Institute of Oncology, added: “Versa HD integrates the Agility 160-leaf collimator with high-dose rate, flattening-filter-free delivery. The leaf speed enables fast and accurate modulation of the high-dose rate beams. This enhances the efficiency of VMAT treatment delivery, which will in-turn bring even more efficiencies to our clinical service.”

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