DIAGNOSTIC services at Stepping Hill Hospital have been enhanced with a state-of-the-art new CT scanner.
Work is now complete on a new building to house the scanner which is now fully installed and ready to help the Stockport hospital’s radiology team carry out scans for patients as the new year begins.
CT scanners are used by the hospital’s radiology department to scan for signs of cancer, as well as on other conditions such as blood clots, strokes, tumours, bone fractures and surgical emergencies.
The radiology team currently carry out over 50,000 CT scans a year - a number set to increase with the new scanner in place.
The new scanner joins two existing units on the hospital site, with the additional capacity improving waiting times for both inpatients and outpatients waiting for their diagnosis.
For patients awaiting results for signs of cancer, the new scanners will allow clinicians to speed up the process of getting the right diagnosis. The new building also has the capacity for a further scanner which will be installed in the near future to give further capacity to the hospital’s radiology services.
With the first lockdown in 2020 some routine radiology procedures at the hospital were postponed. The new scanner will help to reduce the wait for patients who have experienced due to the backlog this caused.
The new CT scanners and improved buildings will give Stepping Hill Hospital the additional capacity it needs as part of the Healthier Together programme to provide enhanced care for patients across Greater Manchester, delivering better patient outcomes and experience. Around £1.5million has been invested in the new building and scanner.
Karen James, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill, said: “We are delighted that the scanner is now in place and will soon be helping our radiology team treat more patients.
“This investment will mean swifter care for patients and will help us to reduce the delays some experienced due to the pandemic, as well as providing an enhanced experience for those receiving treatment.
“I’d like to thank our estates and facilities teams and building partners for helping us to put in place, and our radiology team for their outstanding and ongoing hard work and care.”