As part of its 10‐year Asteral Select managed equipment service, Asteral, has now delivered and installed two brand new linear accelerators to the Royal Derby Hospital, part of Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Asteral is a leading vendor‐independent provider of managed equipment and managed maintenance services to the acute healthcare sector. The company works with NHS trusts and private hospitals to elevate the performance, productivity, and efficiency of medical equipment facilities.

Pictured are: Steffan Armstrong, Senior Radiographer; Elizabeth Sharman, Senior Radiographer; Samantha Herbert, Radiographer; Ellie Woodward, Radiographer; Lorna MacDonald, Radiotherapy Services Manager ‐ Treatment; Sue Marriott, Radiotherapy Services Manager ‐ Pre Treatment.
Steffan Armstrong, Senior Radiographer; Elizabeth Sharman, Senior Radiographer; Samantha Herbert, Radiographer; Ellie Woodward, Radiographer; Lorna MacDonald, Radiotherapy Services Manager ‐ Treatment; Sue Marriott, Radiotherapy Services Manager ‐ Pre Treatment.

The state‐of‐the‐art equipment for Derby will support the trust’s skilled multi‐disciplinary team and ensure the continued provision of a comprehensive specialist consultant based service for the assessment, treatment and follow‐up of cancer patients. The third and final Varian Truebeam linear accelerator will be installed and ready for clinical use by the end of 2017.

The linac replacement plan started in January 2016, with the first new system going live for clinical use last August. The second decommissioning process started in September, with installation of the second new system taking place in December 2016. This July will see the decommissioning of the third and final system and will see the third new machine installed and ready to use by the end of this year.

Together with the three Truebeam scanners, the trust has also purchased an ARIA Oncology Information System and an Eclipse Treatment Planning System. ARIA is a comprehensive  information and image management solution that combines radiation, medical and surgical  oncology information into a complete, oncology‐specific electronic medical record. It  allows users to manage their patient’s entire journey from initial diagnosis to post‐treatment follow‐up.

Eclipse is an integrated and comprehensive treatment planning system. With an intuitive Windows‐based interface, designed to increase productivity for clinicians using simplified data settings and easy drag and drop functionality. With the trust’s new Varian kit, Eclipse works hand‐in‐hand with the ARIA oncology information system making workflow smooth, integrated, and seamless. As Varian takes radiation treatment to the next level, Eclipse is designed to advance along with it, helping to aid cancer treatment using the latest in technologies.

Machines make a huge difference in patient care

Lorna MacDonald, Radiotherapy Services Manager, says: “The machines have made a huge difference to us. They have in‐built technology to provide imaging during the treatment, which means we can provide much more targeted treatment. It also means we can deliver more advanced treatment. Our patients seem happy with the new machines.”

Steve Liptrot, from Uttoxeter, has just completed treatment for prostate cancer with the new machines. He says: “I’ve been impressed with the machines. It’s all been positive. My experience of the hospital and treatment has been second to none.” Around 40 patients a day are treated by each machine, for a variety of cancers.

For more information on Asteral services please call 0118 900 8000, visit www.asteral.com or follow us on Twitter @AsteralUK.