Local MP Rebecca Harris has welcomed the announcement from the Government that 78 Hospital trusts across the country will benefit from a funding boost to upgrade Cancer Diagnostic Machines.

Both Basildon & Thurrock Hospital and Southend Hospital will benefit from this boost after being selected as two of the NHS trusts who are entitled to this funding.

Rebecca Harris Commented:

“The wonderful staff at both Basildon and Southend Hospitals will be able to access the most efficient and modern equipment to allow them to continue the best quality of care for the local community.

The new diagnostic equipment is vital to ensure that cancers are caught and treated in the earliest possible stages.

It is also great to hear that new specialist recruits will be employed to manage and operate this amazing machinery.”

Each trust has been allocated funding for new machines based on an assessment of local infrastructure and local population need. They will all contribute to the NHS Long Term Plan’s goal of catching three-quarters of all cancers earlier when they are easier to treat.

The £200 Million in funding will mean that the new equipment will also bring new capability, with many machines enabled for artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure the NHS is ready for the challenges of the future.

The new machines will improve screening and early diagnosis of cancer and are part of the Government’s commitment to ensure 55,000 more people survive cancer each year.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“This new state-of-the-art equipment for 78 trusts across England will ensure doctors and clinicians can help even more people survive a cancer diagnosis and stop the disease as early as possible.

It’s mission critical that the technology our NHS uses to prevent and diagnose cancer is brought into the 21st century. We have backed the roll-out of these new machines with £200 million in funding, as part of our Long Term Plan, backed by an extra £33.9 billion a year.”

Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director at NHS England, said:

“Cancer survival is at a record high thanks to better prevention, earlier diagnosis and world-leading treatments in the NHS.

This major investment in the best modern scanning technology will benefit patients in every part of England, helping us to achieve the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambitions of catching tens of thousands more cancers earlier when they are easier to treat, saving 55,000 more lives every year.”