Outpatients at Surrey hospital given imaging productivity boost to catch-up on COVID-19 backlog and expand future diagnostic scanning capacity. Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey has been allocated one of fifteen specially commissioned Canon Medical Systems relocatable CT scan units by NHS England under its COVID-19 recovery plan. It will help the Trust catch up on delayed outpatient CT scans from the spring / summer Coronavirus lockdown period, and boost imaging capacity to see greater number of patients into the future.

Outpatients at Surrey hospital given imaging productivity boost to catch-up on COVID-19 backlog and expand future diagnostic scanning capacity

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey has been allocated one of fifteen specially commissioned Canon Medical Systems relocatable CT scan units by NHS England under its COVID-19 recovery plan. It will help the Trust catch up on delayed outpatient CT scans from the spring / summer Coronavirus lockdown period, and boost imaging capacity to see greater number of patients into the future.

“We are delighted to accept the relocatable CT scan unit on loan from NHS England. It is situated at our non-acute Ashford Hospital site, near to the imaging department.

The additional CT will allow us to increase our CT capacity to greatly benefit patients. Our radiographers have transitioned smoothly onto the unit due to the fact we already have two Canon Medical Aquilion CT scanners at the Trust.”

Alanna Marvin, Associate Director of Imaging at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The CT scan unit features an Aquilion Prime SP CT scanner with Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE) to deliver high quality images at low dose for clinical confidence. This will assist with swift diagnosis and treatment planning in oncology and wider speciality needs.

“The Aquilion Prime SP is a fast patient throughput system for multi-purpose imaging needs from paediatric to bariatric patients and from routine to challenging cases,” states Mark Thomas, CT Modality Manager at Canon Medical Systems. “The CT is housed inside our bespoke, easily transportable unit that sits outside the hospital building encompassing a control room, scanning and a patient changing area. This gives quick access to scaled-up imaging capacity when hospitals need it most, without the need for building works.”

Photo caption:
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust welcomes the Canon Medical CT scan unit allocated as part of NHS England’s COVID-19 recovery plan. (L to R: Alanna Marvin, Associate Director of Imaging at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Iain Burley, Account Manager, Canon Medical Systems UK).

West Midlands location allocated one of fifteen relocatable Canon Medical CT Scan Units in direct response to expanding patient access to diagnostic imaging

The impact of COVID-19 on diagnostic imaging at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has increased demand for chest CT scans, created a backlog of routine patient scans, and increased time for cleaning CT scan rooms between patients. It is estimated that an extra 62 hours of CT scanning time is required per week.

To meet imaging demand, NHS England has allocated Stratford Hospital, a community site at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, with one of fifteen specially commissioned Canon Medical Systems relocatable CT Scan Units. The cost has been met by NHS England and NHS Improvement’s COVID-19 recovery fund, with installation, staffing and maintenance picked up by the Trust for the 18-month period.

Helen Lancaster, Director of Operations at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust states, “We are thrilled to be allocated this capital resource by NHS England / Improvement. Year-on-year demand for CT scans has grown significantly and is unlikely to decrease given the changes required in cancer pathways and diagnostic techniques. With the added considerable impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Trust’s capacity to perform many diagnostic procedures, the implementation of the CT scanner at Stratford Hospital is significant in ensuring our patients are seen and treated as soon as possible.”

The CT Scan Unit is an easily transportable, temporary scanning facility featuring CT scanner, control room and patient changing area. Designed and made in the UK by Canon Medical Systems as a direct response to the Coronavirus crisis, the units can be easily deployed to hospital sites on the back of a lorry and sited in car parks to provide instant imaging capacity. Each unit features a best-of-breed Canon Medical Aquilion CT scanner and features correct clinical flooring, hospital grade heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) requirements plus datalink connectivity. The CT scanner also includes ‘InnerVision™’, a remote diagnostics software solution that can predict, diagnose or fix system issues fast without the need for engineers to visit hospital sites.

Mark Hitchman, Managing Director of Canon Medical Systems UK states, “The relocatable CT scan unit was quickly designed and manufactured by our team and partners at the start of the Coronavirus crisis. It is a quick-to-deploy solution for hospitals needing additional imaging capacity for routine work, or a separate red / infectious zone to keep COVID-19 risk patients separate. It can be positioned without building works or hospital reconfiguration by simply being sited in a car park or land adjacent to a hospital. We are delighted to see the corona-concept now being rolled out to hospital locations such as South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. We will continue to be on-call to deliver maintenance and swift resolutions to problems by our virtual remote service solution.”

Photo caption: A Canon Medical relocatable CT Scan Unit has been deployed to Stratford Hospital at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust as part of NHS England’s COVID-19 recovery plan.