We inspected the service on 28 January 2014 and spoke with five staff, three people that used the service and looked at the records for three people. One person told us "The girls have been absolutely excellent. They have explained things all the way and I would recommend the service." Another person told us "The service is excellent. The staff are excellent, very supportive and give good explanations of what is happening. It is a nice, calming environment." A third person told us "I can't really fault the service. They always answer every question." The staff we spoke with said they very well supported by the manager and received regular training.

We found that the care and treatment people received met their needs and that there was a robust quality assurance system in place to ensure people received the correct dosage of ionising radiation to treat their condition.

The premises and environment was maintained to a high standard and effective procedures were in place to minimise the risks of cross infection. Robust procedures and systems were in place to ensure the premises provided an appropriate and safe environment to provide treatment to the people using the service.

The service had effective quality assurance systems were in place so that people's views were listened to and acted upon to provide an effective service.

During our visit, we spoke with several patients and they were all complimentary about the service and the staff. Patients described the staff as courteous, very good and thorough in the way they worked. A person commented, "This is an excellent service. The staff are very efficient. They are very kind and helpful."

Another person commented, "The staff are absolutely fantastic. They take great care to check I am the right patient before beginning treatment each day. They ask me every time if I have any problems." The same patient added, "They always explain before they do anything; they don’t make me feel rushed."

This was echoed by another person who stated that the staff were kind and caring, and 'double checked everything'. The person said they were made to feel at ease and felt unhurried. They added that both the staff and the environment had made them 'feel less depressed' under the circumstances.

The treatment involves using intense x-ray beams to target and destroy diseased tissue with extreme precision. The position, shape and size of the cancer site is first obtained by carrying out a computerised tomography (CT) scan. The service has an arrangement with a local private hospital for this to be done. The beam is applied from numerous angles to ensure the exposure is concentrated on the right area.