Relocatable CT unit allocated to Ashford and St Peter’s under COVID-19 plan

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey has been allocated one of 15 specially- commissioned Canon Medical Systems relocatable CT 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 and summer lockdown period and boost imaging capacity to see greater number of patients in future.

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

Trust associate director of imaging Alanna Marvin said: “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 capacity to greatly benefit patients. Our radiographers have transitioned smoothly onto the unit due to the fact we already have two Aquilion CT scanners at the trust.”

Canon Medical Systems CT modality manager Mark Thomas added: “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. 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.”

Picture: Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust associate director of imaging Alanna Marvin with Canon Medical Systems UK account manager Iain Burley.

Published on page 2 of the October 2020 issue of RAD Magazine.