A MAJOR fundraising campaign is poised to make Southend Hospital one of the leading cancer centres in the UK by funding new cutting-edge technology.

If successful, the Spotlight Radiotherapy Appeal, launched on Thursday, will make Southend Hospital would be among the first NHS facilities to own surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT) systems.

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Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation aims to raise £600,000 to buy three (SGRT) units.

The new technology tracks a patient’s position with pinpoint accuracy, making sure that radiation reaches the right place while avoiding vital organs.

Echo: Fundraiser launch - (l-r): Emma Chaplin, Deputy Director of Nursing; Alan Tobias OBE, Deputy Chair of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation; Nicky Whilde, Head of Southend Radiotherapy; and Emma Wynne-Morgan, Deputy Chair of Trustees Fundraiser launch - (l-r): Emma Chaplin, Deputy Director of Nursing; Alan Tobias OBE, Deputy Chair of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation; Nicky Whilde, Head of Southend Radiotherapy; and Emma Wynne-Morgan, Deputy Chair of Trustees (Image: Mid and South Essex NHS Trust)

The machines will also help cut treatment times and waiting lists because SGRT reduces the need for repeat imaging.

Karen Liesching-Schroder, a former patient at Southend’s cancer care unit, explained how she would have benefited from SGRT systems.

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The 50-year-old Rochford resident was treated with radiotherapy in 2016 following surgery to remove a portion of her tongue after being diagnosed with tongue cancer.

This meant she had to wear a bespoke, full-face mask during radiotherapy.

She said: “I remember having the mask placed over my head, neck and shoulders and then clamped down on my first session, I felt so claustrophobic.

Echo: Karen Liesching-Schroder pictured with her old restrictive maskKaren Liesching-Schroder pictured with her old restrictive mask (Image: MSE)

“Knowing that SGRT will mean an end to full-face masks is such a positive, I know that it would have made a huge difference to my experience.”

She added: "Wearing the full-face covering was the most traumatic experience I have ever encountered. I did everything I had to, but I felt trapped and dreaded every one of my 30 radiotherapy sessions with the mask.”

Current radiotherapy means patients have at least three small tattoos to position them correctly– but that would no longer be needed with the SGRT system, which tracks the skin’s surface using special infrared 3D cameras.

Nicky Whilde, head of radiotherapy physics at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Every year the number of cancer patients needing treatment is increasing. With this amazing appeal, it is hoped that by 2025, all patients receiving radiotherapy across mid and south Essex will have access to safer, less invasive, and more precise treatment for many years to come.

Emma Wynne-Morgan, deputy chair of trustees for the charitable foundation, added: “It has been 25 years since the charitable foundation was founded and, in that time, it has raised nearly £5million to benefit patients and help to transform patient care.”

To read more about the appeal please visit www.spotlightappeal.org, or to find out how you can get involved in fundraising please email southendhospitalcf@gmail.com.