Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has now opened its £3.6 million gamma camera to patient imaging, in hopes of increasing cancer scanning capacity and reducing waiting times.
The camera is housed in a new unit at the hospital, and is used to detect cancer, paediatric conditions and other acute conditions.
It will produce better quality images, improve turnaround times for issuing reports and reduce scanning times, which will enable more patients to be seen, according to a spokesperson for the hospital.
Largest single investment
The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust (SaTH) secured funding to build the unit and install the camera in May 2024.
This makes it the largest single investment in nuclear medicine that Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin has seen.
A team of radiographers and an assistant practitioner specialising in nuclear medicine radiography will work along the radiologist in the unit, which is situated next to the Evolution Scanning Unit that houses a CT and an MRI scanner.
A spokesperson added: “It is also hoped that the equipment will attract staff with specialist skills and help with retention of the trust’s workforce.”
'New, bright, clean and fresh'
Dr Laurence Ginder, associate medical director at SaTH, said: “It’s fantastic that the unit is now open and the first patients have been scanned using the new gamma camera.
“This long-awaited investment secures a nuclear medicine imaging service for the future. It has the potential for us to expand our imaging capabilities, improving the diagnosis and treatment pathway for our patients. The modern surroundings also create a better environment for both colleagues and patients. The project will lead to an improved hospital experience for our patients.”
Patient Simon Burgess was one of the first to receive a scan, on the day the unit opened.
He said: “It is good to have this new facility here – it is nice to be in a new, bright, clean and fresh environment.”
(Image: Viv Orme, Nuclear Medicine Lead, explains the procedure for the scan to patient Simon Burgess.)