Weston General increases its imaging capacity with robust digital x-ray system
Weston General Hospital, Weston-super-Mare, plans to increase its imaging capacity and reduce patient waiting times with a Philips UKI DigitalDiagnost x-ray system.
Reporting radiographer Hilary Rose said: “Even though we are one of the smallest acute health trusts in England, we still experience a high demand on our plain film imaging services. Demand is growing and each year we are trying to increase capacity with the limited resources available.
“We were lucky enough to have The League of Friends set up a charity fund-raising bid to update the radiology department, and included in this was an upgrade from a CR room to a DR room. We needed a reliable and robust room to meet the increasing demands of the GP, outpatient and orthopaedic services and be able to help with ED overflow. The versatility of the Philips set-up with the moving upright Bucky and the ability to switch to the smaller SkyPlate free cassette has given us better patient through-flow and quicker turnaround times.”
The DigitalDiagnost 4.2 features a full-sized fixed Bucky that is able to pivot through 90º to move under the table, and can also capture cross-table lateral examinations. The system has a high weight-bearing capacity table allowing for a 375kg load. It comes with a wireless detector that can be removed for trolley, wheelchairs and weight-bearing views.
Rose added: “The ease of training the staff to operate the equipment was also a key feature, and the use of a Philips DR loan mobile machine allowed the team to get familiar with the software interface, making the transition smoother for us.”
Philips’ DR SkyPlate sharing combination allows the user to customise deployment of the DR detector. The specialised application range of the small SkyPlate enables it to be used in different DR rooms and with a mobile DR unit. The large SkyPlate can be used for free examinations in different areas or inserted in vertical stands or table trays.
Picture: Seated are chairlady of The League of Friends June Stephen and sales specialist digital x-ray Philips UKI Seamus Flood. Standing are radiographers Kate Etchells and Chrystal-Leigh Wallace, consultant radiologist Dr Viktoria Oikonomopoulou, UWE student James Roberts and reporting radiographer Hilary Rose and radiographers Michael Ochie and Dee Usher.
Published on page 18 of the June 2019 issue of RAD Magazine.
