New state of the art Radiology Department opens at the RUH

Radiology staff at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH) are celebrating the official opening of their new and upgraded department – now one of the most modern and best-equipped in the South West.

The Radiology Department now has six state of the art new or refurbished MRI and CT scanners as well as X-ray and ultrasound facilities. The department also has a PET-CT scanner used in the detection and diagnosis of cancer and dementia, which was installed in 2016. There are also larger and improved waiting areas for patients. It follows a five-year, £7.5m investment programme by the RUH to make the Radiology Department among the most modern and best-equipped in the South West.

Craig Forster, RUH Head of Radiology, said: "We're really proud of our new department. It means we can meet the increasing demand for radiology and provide the best services and treatment for our patients. This major investment confirms the RUH as a centre of excellence and care in radiology."

The latest CT scanner to arrive, (CT3) is the first of its type to be installed in the South West, being the most recently developed dual source CT scanner provided by Siemens. It allows faster and more complex scanning to be undertaken. The new MRI scanner, (MRI3) is a high magnetic field strength scanner (3 Tesla) and will enable the RUH to provide high quality imaging for patients in Bath and the surrounding area.

Di Pressdee, Team Lead Radiographer for CT and MRI said: "This is fantastic both for our patients and staff. The facilities enable us to give patients the dignity and privacy they deserve in an environment that is more comfortable and welcoming, helping to make patients feel more relaxed."

Last year, more than 275,000 patients visited the Radiology Department and more than 58,000 people received CT and MRI scans.

Charlotte Scully, Project Manager: "We have carried out this work while allowing the department to remain fully functioning and making every effort to minimise any disruption to staff and patients. It's been very challenging but we haven't had to cancel even one patient's appointment for a scan, which as the unit works seven days a week, 24 hours a day is a great achievement by our staff and our building contractors John West."

While the extended Radiology Department is now officially open, further upgrades to the existing MRI and CT scanners continues and will be complete around August 2019.

The RUH is grateful to Sir David Pollock, Jill Hiron, and Charlotte Swift for their generous offer to donate a selection of their father's artwork to the RUH's Radiology Department. Sir

George Frederick Pollock was a leading exponent of audio-visual work, a unique and revolutionary award winning art photographer and a past President of the Royal Photographic Society.

It was photography in its various forms that occupied a large part of Pollock's life. He invented a method of making abstract colour photographs using controlled light, originally through glass, in 1962, which he named 'Vitrographs'.

David, Jill and Charlotte were delighted to be invited to formally open the new department in honour of their father.

ENDS

Notes to Editor

• CT scans can produce detailed images of many structures inside the body, including the internal organs, blood vessels and bones. They can be used to:
• diagnose conditions – including damage to bones, injuries to internal organs, problems with blood flow, strokes and cancer
• guide further tests or treatments – for example, CT scans can help to determine the location, size and shape of a tumour before having radiotherapy, or to allow a doctor to take a needle biopsy (where a small tissue sample is removed using a needle) or drain an abscess
• monitor conditions – including checking the size of tumours during and after cancer treatment
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.
• An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. You lie inside the tube during the scan.
• An MRI scan can be used to examine almost any part of the body, including the:
• brain and spinal cord
• bones and joints
• breasts
• heart and blood vessels
• internal organs, such as the liver, womb or prostate gland
• The results of an MRI scan can be used to help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess how effective previous treatment has been.
• The RUH Radiology Department undertakes a full range of diagnostic imaging, including PET-CT. The department operates on seven separate sites across the locality undertaking around 293,615 patient examinations per year.

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