What happens here
- MR-Linac SABR treatment, delivered by Dr Harinarayanan on Thursdays
- The planning session on the MR-Linac before treatment starts
- Reviews during the course, on treatment days
Practical details
- Clinic days: Thursdays
- Parking: On-site parking
- Getting there: On the west side of Guildford, close to the Royal Surrey County Hospital and the A3; from the South Coast by road via the A3 or A31; a taxi ride from Guildford station
What happens here
GenesisCare Guildford is a private cancer treatment centre with an MR-Linac: a radiotherapy machine with an MRI scanner built around it, so the team can see the tumour and the organs beside it while you are on the couch, adapt the plan to that day, and pause the beam if the target moves. Dr Harinarayanan uses it to deliver SABR, a short course of very precise, high-dose radiotherapy, for cancer that has spread to a small number of places and for selected other tumours.
He holds MR-Linac SABR accreditation from GenesisCare UK and treats his patients here on Thursdays. He plans the treatment, is present for it and reviews you on treatment days. GenesisCare’s radiographers and physicists run the machine and bill for the treatment.
Why Guildford rather than London or Oxford
Dr Harinarayanan treats on the MR-Linac here, at Cromwell Hospital in London, and at GenesisCare Oxford. The treatment is the same at all three. For many patients on the South Coast, Guildford is the easier journey, reached by road without going into central London. Which site you attend is agreed when the plan is made.
Before you come
Consultations, the decision about whether MR-Linac SABR is right for you, and follow-up all happen at Spire Southampton Hospital. You come to Guildford for the machine only.
The first visit is usually the planning session: you lie on the treatment couch while the machine takes MRI pictures, and those pictures are used to build your plan. Treatment sessions follow as a short course, each on a Thursday. Each takes longer than a standard radiotherapy visit because the machine scans you again and the team adapts the plan before the dose is given. You go home the same day.
Finding the centre
The address is Stirling Road, Guildford, GU2 7RF. The centre is on the west side of Guildford, in the area around the Royal Surrey County Hospital, away from the town centre. It is a GenesisCare centre with its own entrance, reception and car park. The map link on this page opens the centre in Google Maps for directions from wherever you are starting.
Getting here
By car from the South Coast, the A3 from the Portsmouth direction or the A31 from Winchester both lead to Guildford, and the centre is close to the A3. There is parking on site. By train, Guildford station is on the lines from Portsmouth and from London Waterloo, and the centre is a taxi ride from the station.
If you are tired or unwell from treatment, please have someone drive you rather than driving yourself.
What to bring
Bring your appointment letter, a list of the medicines you take and, if you are insured, your pre-authorisation number. GenesisCare will tell you separately whether to eat or drink beforehand and whether to follow any preparation, such as a full or empty bladder or a particular breathing pattern. Wear comfortable clothes without metal, because you will be inside an MRI scanner, and tell the team about any implant or metal in your body before your first visit.
Treatments at this site
Common questions
London, Guildford or Oxford: which one will I go to?
All three have a GenesisCare MR-Linac and Dr Harinarayanan plans and oversees treatment at each of them. The choice usually comes down to which is easier for you to reach and where a slot is available. For many patients on the South Coast, Guildford is the shorter journey because it is reached by road without going into London. He will discuss it with you when the plan is made; the treatment is the same wherever you go.
How do I get to GenesisCare Guildford?
The centre is on Stirling Road on the west side of Guildford, close to the Royal Surrey County Hospital and the A3. From the South Coast, most patients drive, via the A3 from the Portsmouth direction or the A31 from Winchester and the west. There is parking on site. By train, Guildford station is on the line from Portsmouth and from London Waterloo, and the centre is a taxi ride from it.
How many visits will I need?
A planning session on the MR-Linac, then a short course of treatment sessions, each on a Thursday. The number depends on where the tumour is and what sits around it, and it is agreed with you at planning. Each session is longer than a standard radiotherapy visit because the machine scans you and the team adapts the plan before the dose is given. You go home the same day and can usually be driven back the same afternoon.
Can I have my consultation in Guildford?
Consultations and follow-up are normally at Spire Southampton Hospital, so that your appointments are close to home and Guildford is for the machine only. If you live in Surrey and it would be easier to be seen here, ask; it may be possible to arrange. GenesisCare Guildford will give you their own contact details for anything about the treatment days themselves.