Velindre teams deliver major radiotherapy upgrade programme with minimal disruption to patients

25 August 2026

Teams across Velindre Cancer Service have successfully commenced a major upgrade programme to its radiotherapy fleet and systems, with minimal disruption to patient services.

The three-month programme has seen significant improvements to the Varian radiotherapy fleet at both Velindre Cancer Centre (VCC) in Cardiff and the Velindre @ Nevill Hall Radiotherapy Unit (V@NHRU) in Abergavenny. It will also strengthen the service for the future and support preparations for the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC).

Delivering a programme of this scale required a huge team effort, bringing together colleagues from Radiotherapy, Radiotherapy Physics, Digital Services, Estates, the Integrated Radiotherapy Services (IRS) team, suppliers and wider clinical teams.

Helen Payne, Radiotherapy Services Manager, said:

"Successfully delivering this major upgrade programme while maintaining high-quality patient care is a remarkable achievement. This has only been possible through meticulous planning, clear communication and the commitment of demonstrated by teams across Velindre and our partners. Despite the capacity challenges, we have ensured patients continued to receive their care with minimal disruption, while strengthening our services for the future."

Throughout the programme, individual linear accelerators were taken out of service in turn to allow upgrade work to take place. Despite this reduction in available capacity, teams worked together to ensure patients continued to receive their treatment with as little disruption as possible.

Staff showed tremendous flexibility, working across different sites and supporting additional weekend treatment sessions when needed. Patients also played an important part, attending appointments at either VCC or V@NHRU to help services continue running smoothly during the upgrade period.

Supported by extensive planning, commissioning and quality assurance from the Radiotherapy Physics team, the upgrades will improve efficiency, strengthen the resilience of radiotherapy services and support the transition to nVCC.

The team's expertise has also attracted national recognition. During the programme, members of staff were invited to share Velindre's experience of implementing the Identify system at a Varian UK User Meeting in London, highlighting the organisation's leading role in introducing new technologies and improving cancer treatment for patients across Cardiff, Abergavenny and beyond.