Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk has written to the NHS Regional Medical Director, Nigel Acheson, requesting an on-site meeting at Cheltenham General Hospital to discuss the introduction of state of the art LINAC (cancer treatment) machines at Cheltenham. Mr Chalk is campaigning for new equipment to replace and upgrade the current, older models.
Alex Chalk said: “Cheltenham General Hospital has an excellent oncology unit supported by a dedicated and professional team. Cheltenham’s rates of early death from cancer remain below the England average. However, with cancer now the single biggest cause of death in Gloucestershire, I am determined that we should be driving standards ever higher.
“I have no doubt that a LINAC upgrade at Cheltenham oncology unit will be an enormous benefit to our local professional teams. I want to give the oncology unit access to the huge advances in precision cancer treatment. Investment in the latest technology will be a huge boost to cancer survival rates for my constituents, while also reducing side effects.
“Between 2005 and 2015, Cheltenham felt like the Cinderella of Gloucestershire NHS. We lost Battledown’s Children Services, doctor-led maternity services and night-time A&E. I’m determined that Cheltenham’s voice now heard loud and clear by the NHS top brass and we get the investment we need.
This is a big ask and will require a huge amount of money. That’s why I want to present the case for investment in Cheltenham. I want them to see how good the team already is and realise how much more they could achieve with state-of-the-art equipment.”