Media Release
Date: 19 May 2025
RUH’s Radiology department celebrates its 50th anniversary
This week the Radiology department at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust celebrates its 50th anniversary and members of the team have been looking back at the changes the department has seen in that time.
The department was officially opened on May 19, 1975 by Prof Howard Middlemiss, the first president of the Royal College of Radiologists.
In the 50 years that have followed, much of the department has been transformed to ensure it continues to provide the very best service for the people we care for.
More than 90% of patients who attend the RUH will be seen by our radiology department for things like X-rays, CT scans and MRIs.
Radiographer Kathy Thomas said: “I was working here in the department when it opened 50 years ago. I now work flexibly as a member on the NHS staff bank and I've been doing that for about the last 10 years.
“It feels like an awfully long time, and things have changed dramatically. Our profession has developed in many ways and the technology is probably the thing that has changed the most.
“One of the most significant changes for radiographers was moving from X-ray film to digital images. X-ray films were much more difficult to handle and had to be processed, which sometimes didn't work. Someone's chest X-ray might be lost at the bottom of a tank!
“Those things don't happen now. Technology has made a huge difference, and things are much easier now.”
Sarah Bond, Operational Lead Radiographer, who has been working in radiology at the RUH for 30 years said: “Thirty years ago, imaging was very much in two dimensions and all in black and white. We had light boxes in the viewing areas where we would stick our films to see them.
“Nowadays, all images are digital, many are three-dimensional, and the resolution is much better. We can spot abnormalities and cancers that are much smaller than we could 30 years ago.
“The shift from 2D to 3D imaging has been significant. Now, we have images in colour and can manipulate them. AI is also being used in imaging and image reporting, making it a very hightech area.
“Thirty years ago, a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis would take 30 minutes to complete. Nowadays, it takes just 30 seconds.
“I don't know the exact number of patients we were imaging 30 or 50 years ago, but today we image more than a thousand patients a day in radiology. We operate seven days a week and have been doing so for 26 years. Although we see fewer patients on weekends, it averages out to just over a thousand patients a day across all imaging modalities.
“Radiology at the RUH is quite special. I have two colleagues who still work here and remember it from 40 and 50 years ago. The fact that they are still working here is a testament to how special the department is.
“It has grown massively, tripling in services and staff size over the 30 years I've been here.
When I started, there were 11 consultant radiologists and about 50 radiographers. Now, there are 130 radiographers and 30 radiology consultants, along with all the support staff. We have three times more nurses, porters, and admin and clerical staff.
“It's a strong, cohesive team that works well together, which is essential for handling a thousand patients a day.”
The RUH continues to invest in its radiology department, making it one of the most modern and best equipped in the south west. The department has seven modern MRI and CT scanners as well as X-ray and ultrasound facilities
