The NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter has undergone a significant transformation, thanks to the installation of new medical imaging and diagnostic technology from Canon Medical Systems UK. This has enabled the hospital to support a 300% increase in patients, reducing the local NHS waiting list from six weeks to less than two weeks.
The hospital used a share of £11.3 million funding from the National Accelerator Systems Programme to become a CDC (Community Diagnostic Centre) and help tackle the backlog across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Investment in the latest medical imaging and diagnostics technology, such as the Aplio i800 Prism Edition machines, has greatly improved the precision and detail of scanning, particularly for gynaecological and musculoskeletal examinations.
The advanced applications on the Canon Medical equipment, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound, shear wave elastography, and superb micro-vascular imaging (SMI), have enhanced image quality and supported clinicians in making more accurate diagnoses. This has resulted in improved productivity, faster examinations, and positive patient feedback on the speed and efficiency of referrals.
The ultrasound service department now has four outpatient scanning suites, allowing the CDC to serve three times as many patients. The advanced technology has also increased diagnostic confidence among the sonography team and is helping to reduce patient waiting lists.
This transformation is part of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) programme, which has helped to reduce patient waiting lists and increase positive patient outcomes by speeding up access to potentially lifesaving tests and checks. The success of the NHS Nightingale and other CDCs demonstrates the impact of investing in advanced medical technology in improving patient care and outcomes.
