New £2.6m cancer treatment machine introduced at Northampton General Hospital

New radiotherapy technology aims to deliver more precise care and support thousands of patients each year

Kehinde Taiwo | Tuesday 28th April 2026 6:04pm

The new radiotherapy machine is now in use at Northampton General Hospital (NGH), in a move set to improve cancer treatment for patients across Northamptonshire.

The equipment, known as a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine is designed to deliver high doses of radiation directly to tumours with a high degree of accuracy. The system can target treatment to within around one millimetre, helping to limit the impact on surrounding healthy tissue.

After being installed in August 2025 and undergoing testing, the machine is now fully operational. It has already been used to carry out more than 1,500 treatments for over 100 patients.

The technology also includes advanced imaging, allowing clinical teams to see tumours more clearly during treatment. This means more precise targeting and enables adjustments to be made where necessary.

The new machine is expected to play a role in the hospital’s radiotherapy service, which delivers around 22,000 treatments each year to approximately 1,700 patients.

Dr Mark Cowen, NGH’s Head of Radiotherapy Physics said: “The replacement equipment will bring improved reliability and the latest in radiotherapy technology to the county.

“We are one of the first centres in the UK to use a new form of advanced imaging (Varian’s HyperSight) which is a technological step-change in the image quality and speed that is possible during radiotherapy treatments.

“The machine itself looks like a large CT scanner, weighs seven tonnes, and can deliver precise doses of radiation to many different parts of the body with accuracy to within 1mm.”

The investment is part of a wider programme focused on upgrading radiotherapy services through the Plan for Change announced last year. This is with the aim of improving the quality and consistency of care for cancer patients.

Credit: Northampton General Hospital

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