Queen Victoria Hospital Invests £750,000 in CT Scanner
Recently, the Queen Victoria Hospital has made a significant investment of £750,000 in a state-of-the-art CT scanner. This new equipment is aimed at improving access to diagnostics and increasing the hospital’s capacity to cater to the growing number of patients in need of diagnostic services.
The Siemens machine replaces the hospital’s previous scanner, funded by the League of Friends, which was installed in 2018. According to Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the new scanner is expected to increase the hospital’s capacity by around 20% and will play a crucial role in the Community Diagnostic Centre service.
Diagnostics have become a top priority for Sussex as part of the shared delivery plan to enhance capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. The trust also hopes that the new scanner will not only help reduce waiting lists at Queen Victoria Hospital but also support other healthcare providers in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent in addressing their CT scan waiting lists.
Government data from July 11, 2024, revealed that the UK lags behind other countries in terms of CT scanners, MRI units, and PET scanners per million population. In response to this, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to double the number of CT scanners and MRI scanners in the country.
During a conference in July, Streeting emphasized the importance of investing in AI-enabled scanners, stating that they would lead to significant productivity gains and improvements in patient experience and diagnostic quality. In addition to the CT scanner investment, the hospital has also awarded a contract for an electronic patient record system to further enhance patient care.
