We will contact patients if their procedures or outpatient appointments needs to be rescheduled, but they should attend a scheduled procedure or appointment if they have not heard from us. Find out more about Resident Doctors Industrial Action
The Plymouth Oncology Centre at Derriford Hospital is undergoing an extension that involves building a new decant bunker to house a £1.9 million replacement linear accelerator (LINAC), and the creation of a dedicated High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy Facility.
LINAC bunkers, more commonly known as radiotherapy bunkers, contain equipment that are used primarily to treat cancer. It is important to provide the right level of radiation shielding to prevent high-energy rays from escaping the treatment room. To do this, the bunkers have walls and ceilings that are 2.2 metre thick, made of over 1400 tonnes of a specialist concrete called MagnaDense. This concrete is mixed offsite by a specialist company and brought in to be poured and cured in a complex process.
The new decant bunker currently under construction will not only house the new LINAC, but it will also allow for the future replacement of our existing ones, without any impact to radiotherapy services.
The new dedicated Brachytherapy Suite will include a treatment room, theatre area, waiting areas and recovery spaces. Being a complete theatre suite, it will also allow other procedures to be carried out in the area.
The demand for radiotherapy steadily increases year upon year, with one in four cancer patients now requiring radiotherapy treatment during the course of their disease. Radiotherapy treats cancer using beams of ionising radiation to target tumours. This radiation is produced either by a treatment machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC) or by using radioactive isotopes placed near to the cancer (brachytherapy). These beams and placements are calculated by specialist planning staff to optimise the radiation dose to the tumour while avoiding healthy parts of the body as much as possible.
The construction of the decant bunker will enable ongoing service commitment and maintain and expand essential radiotherapy services to treat cancer patients. Ultimately, it will reduce patient pathways and treatment times, provide a better experience for our patients in addition to improving patient outcomes for those with early stages of cancer.
The replacement of our existing stock is necessary to modernise our equipment to meet current and future challenges relating to cancer care, and growing demand. The decant bunker will ensure services continue uninterrupted and offer the opportunity to exploit new technology to improve the outcome for our patients.
Brachytherapy is the only demonstrated method of providing the high dose of radiotherapy required to control cervical cancer, while minimising side effects, and is recommended in established national guidelines (NICE IPG 160). Brachytherapy is also recommended for those with intermediate/high risk prostate cancer and uterine cancers, in addition to use for other treatment sites.
Having a dedicated brachytherapy suite will improve the Trust’s overall service to cancer patients, bringing Plymouth in line with the best facilities in the country, expanding capacity and improving patient standards and experience.
The project to build the bunkers began in September 2022 and is due for completion in spring 2026.
Tilbury Douglas, a UK building and infrastructure company, have been appointed to complete the construction.
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Derriford Road, Plymouth, PL6 8DH
Located at the rear of the hospital on level 2.
There will be continuous noise from drilling, grinding, bolt installation and cutting. This will be most prevalent in Oncology and the Mustard Tree, where the new steel beams connect to the steels within the existing building envelope at the third and fourth floor levels.
