Cancer patients treated in mouldy, damp buildings

Parts of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital date back to the 1930s

Cancer patients in East Kent are being cared for in buildings with multiple leaks, mould and damp.

NHS bosses have been told the radiotherapy department at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital (K&C) has not been maintained to a reasonable standard resulting in inadequate facilities.

Out of three machines used to treat cancer patients in the department, one exceeded its 10-year life span in 2021 and another will do so in 2024.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which provides radiotherapy services at the K&C, said the money it has been allocated is "insufficient" to repair buildings and replace equipment and it is preparing a financial case for up to £53m to rectify the situation.

Around four in 10 of all NHS cancer patients are treated with radiotherapy, which typically uses high-energy radiation from a machine called a linear accelerator.

Radiotherapy is one of the three main cancer treatments, alongside surgery and chemotherapy.

At a board meeting in April senior managers were told that failing to act "risks a catastrophic breakdown in equipment" and that this could result in "significantly reduced capacity to offer local treatment to east Kent residents and increased waiting times for cancer treatment".

The report said: "The radiotherapy department building has not been able to be maintained to a reasonable standard resulting in inadequate facilities with multiple leaks, mould and damp. "

It highlighted that two of the three "bunkers" used to house the linear accelerators are too small to house modern machines.

The report said that when a modern machine was installed it had a severe impact on staff as "they cannot currently access both sides of a machine without going under a work surface".

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which provides the radiotherapy services, and East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which owns the building, jointly said: “Our estates teams work hard to keep patients safe and comfortable despite the challenges of the old building.

“Both trusts recognise the limitations of the aging estate and are working together to ensure future improvements are made while continuing to provide the highest levels of care to patients.”