The Lanarkshire Beatson, Scotland’s newest radiotherapy centre, will open to patients later this month.

Ahead of the opening, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing visited the centre at Monklands Hospital, Airdrie.

Speaking about the new facility, Shona Robison said: “Demand for radiotherapy treatment is set to increase significantly over the next ten years as more of us live longer and more cases of cancer are detected at an earlier stage. That is why the Scottish Government is determined to see more patients treated in modern facilities like this state-of-the-art radiotherapy centre.

“The Lanarkshire Beatson will enable us to keep pace with future increases in demand for this important cancer treatment. This satellite centre will not only allow us to see more patients and help reduce waiting times but it will also allow many patients to access diagnostic and cancer treatment services not previously available in Lanarkshire.”

The new £22 million, which opens on November 30, satellite radiotherapy centre includes two state-of-the-art linear accelerators. This will enable around 80 patient treatments a day, for people who require radiotherapy for lung, breast, prostate and rectal cancers. The centre will also have a CT simulator to help plan radiotherapy treatment.

The Lanarkshire Beatson will operate as a satellite facility for the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and will be equipped with the most advanced technology to deliver the same world-class treatment currently provided at the Glasgow centre.

It is a consortium project involving five west of Scotland Health Boards; NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire.

Initially, the majority of patients are expected to come from Lanarkshire however, over time, patients from other west of Scotland areas may also be treated at the new facility.

Neena Mahal, chairwoman of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “The Lanarkshire Beatson is an excellent facility which will bring huge benefits to many patients who can be treated closer to home.

“It has been a mammoth task to get the centre to this stage and I would like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work from clinical and construction staff to patient representatives and managerial staff involved in the planning and design process.

“I would especially like to thank the Beatson Cancer Charity for their commitment to fundraising for the Lanarkshire Beatson. They offer incredible services to help support people with cancer and their loved ones through challenging times.”