Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many fully functional linear accelerators were used for radiotherapy treatment in the NHS in England in each of the last 10 years; and how many fractions of such treatment NHS England delivered in that period.
England only data for the number of linear accelerators is only available for 2011-12 and 2013-14, as follows:
- 2011-12: 265 machines, however the details relating to full clinical use are not available.
- 2013-14: 269 machines, of which 256 in full clinical use.
From 2009-10 throughput has been measured in attendances. This was as a result of a drive to standardise coding practice across England. This answer therefore presents information on attendances for each of the years since 1999 and information on fractions up until 2009-10. A conversion factor of 1 fraction to 0.87 attendances has been used. The data available has been attached to this response.