Separate CT scanner gives reassurance to patients that they can be seen safely during pandemic

The fifth of fifteen bespoke CT Scanner plus relocatable building units, designed and manufactured in the UK by Canon Medical Systems as part of NHS England’s COVID-19 recovery plan, has been delivered to Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The unit has been positioned in a car park outside A&E and is entirely separate from the main hospital building, giving reassurance to outpatients that they can be seen safely despite concerns about the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Graham Clark, Deputy Head of Radiology at Kettering General Hospital states, “Keeping a completely clean, ‘green’ CT room free for outpatients that is separate from the main hospital imaging department means that our cancer or other immunosuppressed patients feel more comfortable attending CT appointments.”

“The concept of relocatable CT scanners is not new – we’ve been delivering mobile CT and MRI units to the NHS for many years to assist with heightened winter capacity issues or to support planned building projects.

However, the fifteen COVID-19 response CT Scan Units provided to NHS England are a result of extremely quick design and manufacturing here in the UK. It took just 8 weeks – from order to build completion – for the first unit to be deployed.”

Mark Hitchman, Managing Director at Canon Medical Systems UK.

“It gives reassurance that they don’t need to come into the main hospital and can be seen safely outside in a separate location. This reduces their understandable anxieties at this time during the ongoing pandemic.”

He continues, “Early reports are that the COVID-19 response CT Scan Units have been invaluable in providing additional CT scanning capacity for hospitals to catch up on backlogs, to give extra imaging capacity to address delays caused by enhanced cleaning times between patients, and prepare for impending winter pressures alongside a second COVID-19 wave. They also pave the way for hospital staff and management to become accustomed to separate imaging facilities outside of the walls of the traditional hospital environment as discussion builds in the healthcare industry about community diagnostic hubs.”

The Canon Medical CT Scan Unit is designed to be rapidly deployed on the back of a lorry and moved to different locations in need of extra imaging capacity. Each unit features a high-end Aquilion CT, user control room and small changing area for patients. It is designed in line with hospital guidelines with correct clinical flooring, hospital grade heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) requirements. It is fully IT compliant with datalink connectivity and includes Canon Medical’s ‘InnerVision’ remote service solution.

Photo caption:
The interior of a Canon Medical COVID-19 response CT Scan Unit.

Supporting diagnostic imaging systems remotely has been put to the test this year when the Coronavirus pandemic changed health protocols limiting visits to hospitals from external people.

For hospital locations away from the UK mainland, the feeling of being remote and having fewer ‘human’ interactions from the representatives of imaging equipment manufacturers has been a fact of life for a long time. For example, Canon Medical Systems UK has many close relationships with customers located off the UK mainland in locations such as the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Supporting the diagnostic imaging of island customers

Supporting diagnostic imaging systems remotely has been put to the test this year when the Coronavirus pandemic changed health protocols limiting visits to hospitals from external people.

For hospital locations away from the UK mainland, the feeling of being remote and having fewer ‘human’ interactions from the representatives of imaging equipment manufacturers has been a fact of life for a long time. For example, Canon Medical Systems UK has many close relationships with customers located off the UK mainland in locations such as the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

“Ultrasound is our frontline diagnostic tool and we use it as much as X-ray. We have had our two Xario ultrasound systems from Canon Medical for many years and are reliant on them for all general imaging work from obstetrics, general surgery and small parts.

The Xario ultrasound is a battery powered unit and gives us a great mobile advantage to take to a patient on the ward or theatre”

Nina Aldridge, Senior Radiographer at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Falkland Islands.

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in Stanley, the capital of the Falklands Islands, is located more than 8000 miles from the UK. It is a British territory and has a reciprocal agreement with the NHS. KEMH is the only medical, dental and community health service facility serving the near 4000 inhabitants of the islands, and potentially triple that number of people in the summer period when tourist cruise boats visit.

“The Canon Medical experience is incredibly positive for us – they are so accessible and responsive to our needs. We are a very resilient and forward-thinking nation being in a remote location with only a once-a-month supply boat, so we’re used to not expecting things immediately. But we have instant responses whenever we need them from the Canon Medical team and this is very reassuring to keep our ultrasound imaging service running smoothly and ensuring the highest possible standard of care to our patients,” Nina continues.

“Supporting our customers, wherever they are located is always a key objective,” states Tim Palarm, Regional Ultrasound Manager at Canon Medical Systems UK. “The unique year of 2020 has taught us all that even when we have to be physically apart, we can still communicate with and support our customers virtually using the technologies available. For example, our InnerVision remote service and application support can action software updates or repairs by a Canon Service engineer without the need to visit the location. This means a quicker resolution of issues and ensures maximum equipment ‘up-time’. It can also facilitate screen sharing to talk clinicians through any training or education topics to broaden their knowledge of the system, optimise image quality and, of course, maximise potential when in clinical use with patients.”

Photo caption:
King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in Stanley, the capital of the Falklands Islands, 8000 miles away from the UK.