Third and final linac installed at Royal Derby Hospital

Officially opening the latest TrueBeam is trust medical director Dr Nigel Sturrock (fourth from left), with Althea implementation programme manager George Iliopoulos (second from left) and trust department staff, consultants, and the first patient treated on the first TrueBeam to be installed.

Installation of three linear accelerators in the radiotherapy department at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been completed by Althea.  As well as the installation of three Varian TrueBeam systems, Althea managed the decommissioning of three old systems and refurbished the bunkers and control rooms.

As well as the TrueBeam units, the trust has purchased an Aria oncology information system and an Eclipse treatment planning system.

Head of radiotherapy physics Gordon Galloway said: “Not only has the managed equipment service provided us with three state-of-the-art RT treatment units, it has given us a networked oncology management system and treatment planning infrastructure running over a Citrix network, allowing staff to make optimal use of the new technology.  Remote access for contouring, treatment planning, and plan adaption allows us to get patients on to treatment in the most efficient way, and to ensure any changes during treatment are managed in an optimal fashion.”

See the full report on page 11 of the February 2018 issue of RAD Magazine.