Published on 19 December 2025
Cheshire and Merseyside’s regional NHS cancer centre is installing more new equipment to give patients the very latest radiotherapy treatment.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC) now has a second Varian Halycon linear accelerator (linac) with Hypersight imaging, which allows even more patients to access to state-of-the-art care.
Treatment times are faster on the Halcyon and the Hypersight imaging technology enhances the quality of images taken during treatment courses. Clinical teams can use these images to adjust treatment plans, potentially saving further planning scans and reducing delays to treatment.
Another benefit of the Halycon is a quieter and less intimidating treatment experience for patients, as the machine is more like a CT scanner, delivering treatment through an O-shaped ring rather than a rotating arm. It also uses less electricity.
CCC’s expert medical physics and radiotherapy teams are now installing the machine – paid for with a £2.9m grant from the National Radiotherapy Replacement Fund – and it is expected to treat patients from March.
CCC is one of the UK’s leading and largest radiotherapy providers, with linacs at sites in Aintree, Liverpool and Wirral, delivering almost 90,000 treatment fractions a year – more than almost any other hospital nationally.
Louise Bagley, CCC’s Physics General Manager, said: “We’re delighted that our second Halycon linac has now arrived. It will allow us to further increase capacity and treat more patients and provides us with opportunities for research as well as offering an improved experience. It’s another exciting development for radiotherapy treatment at Clatterbridge.”