The Department for Health and Social Care has announced a range of investments in cancer treatment equipment, but the SoR has warned that replacing machines is not enough.
Last month (May 2025), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced it had paid to replace linear accelerator (LINAC) machines at 28 hospitals, funded by a £70 million investment as part of its Plan for Change.
While the SoR has welcomed the announcement as “a critical and long-overdue step toward modernising radiotherapy infrastructure”, it has warned that modern machines alone will not resolve the mounting challenges facing radiotherapy services.
'Outdated, malfunctioning equipment'
The machines will be rolled out at hospitals across the country from August 2025, prioritising hospitals which currently use outdated treatment machines older than 10 years.
This investment follows on from the government’s rollout of 13 new DEXA scanners across the country last month.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “NHS hospitals are forced to use outdated, malfunctioning equipment thanks to 14 years of underinvestment under the previous government.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.”
However, Spencer Goodman, professional officer for radiotherapy at the SoR, has warned that a “whole-system approach is essential” to overcoming the challenges facing cancer care.
'A resilient, well-staffed, and well-support workforce'
“Radiotherapy delivery depends not just on state-of-the-art technology but on a resilient, well-staffed, and well-supported workforce operating within efficient and patient-centred care pathways,” he added.
Spencer urged policy-makers to accompany the replacement of machinery with:
- Strategic workforce investment: Immediate funding for training, apprenticeships, and retention strategies is essential to expand and sustain the Therapeutic Radiographer workforce.
- Pathway redesign: Investment in streamlined referral and treatment pathways to reduce delays and inefficiencies in care delivery.
- Integrated planning: Whole-department workforce modelling, including extended practice roles and job planning, must inform future investment decisions.
- Research and innovation support: Embedding research into radiotherapy services will help translate technological advances into clinical excellence.
- Sustainable funding models: Reforming outdated funding approaches to ensure financial support is aligned with the complexity and scope of modern radiotherapy practice.
'We must invest in the people'
Radiography departments across the country are currently suffering from a 7.7 per cent shortfall (around 308 whole-time equivalent posts), compromising patient access and waiting times.
The Royal College of Radiologists’ 2024 clinical radiology and clinical oncology census reports revealed workforce shortages were jeopardise the government’s ambitions to make transformative changes to the way healthcare is delivered in the UK.
These discoveries included confirmation that workforce growth is being outpaced by growth in demand for imaging services.
Spencer said: “The Society of Radiographers welcomes any opportunity to continue working in partnership with government and NHS leaders to realise a world-class radiotherapy service. As we invest in machines, we must also invest in the people and systems that make safe, effective, and compassionate cancer care possible.”