£9 million invested in imaging scans for local residents by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
The new, cutting-edge scanners will help reduce waiting times and remove the need for many patients to travel to other hospitals for scans.
Our partners, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, unveiled the fruits of their £9 million investment into diagnostic imaging, with the official grand opening of three new scanners that will provide faster diagnosis and treatment for patients with a range of conditions, including cancer.
On Thursday 27 October, Trust leaders and the clinical and support teams that made it all possible were on hand to cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art MRI scanner and a new CT scanner at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich (QEH), all held within a new specialist unit that has its own entranceway to improve the patient experience.
The event followed a similar celebration on Tuesday 25 October to open a new CT scanner at the Trust’s other acute hospital, University Hospital Lewisham (UHL).
Above: Councillor Paul Bell (first on the left), Trust Chief Executive Ben Travis (fourth from left) and Chair Mike Bell (third from right) join the Radiology team to open up the new CT scanner at University Hospital Lewisham.
The new, cutting-edge scanners will help reduce waiting times and remove the need for many patients to travel to other hospitals for scans.
They are fully modern machines and will also assist with procedures like biopsies, and faster diagnosis of conditions like head, neck and chest cancers.
Ben Travis, Trust Chief Executive, said: “We’ve said during the planning process that these new devices will be a real game-changer for our local residents, and I’m so proud that we can cut the ribbon and open these wonderful machines up for the thousands of scans they will perform for our local people.
“From reduced waiting times to providing a greater range of tests – the new scanners will be of crucial importance to bringing backlogs down, speeding up treatment for our patients, and helping us move on from the pandemic while delivering the high-quality care that’s needed to serve our communities.”
Speaking at the opening of the Lewisham CT scanner – one of only four GE Healthcare Revolution CT machines in the country – Lewisham Councillor Paul Bell, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “I was delighted to be present at the opening of LGT’s new state of the art CT scanner at University Hospital Lewisham.
“The NHS need the latest technology, and I am pleased Lewisham Hospital is leading the way in the best medical equipment for our residents.”
This multi-million pound project is just one of several exciting capital investments into LGT’s care. Other examples include:
- £30+ million infrastructure project at QEH: up-to-date electrics, better quality air, more resilient oxygen supply
- £14 million for a new elective hub for south east London, featuring two day case theatres at UHL to perform high volume, low complexity procedures in areas like Urology and Ear, Nose and Throat
- £13+ million investment into a new community diagnostic centre at Eltham Community Hospital: will provide 64,000 additional scans and 27,000 extra blood tests a year and improve diagnosis and waiting times for all local residents.
Above: Athanasios Katsigris, cross-site CT Lead, and MRI Superintendent Kirti Patel cut the amazing scanner cakes!
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust are a South East London Acute Provider Collaborative (APC), where Trusts are working together to improve the way acute care is delivered in south east London. Find out how they work.