Liverpool cancer hospital bolsters COVID-19 response with advanced imaging systems

The opening of the new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool has expanded clinical services in MR, CT, PETCT and angiography, and supports the NHS response to COVID-19 by providing access to advanced imaging equipment from Siemens Healthineers.

Opened in June last year as part of a £162 million investment in NHS cancer services in Merseyside and Cheshire, the cancer centre opened on schedule to provide additional NHS capacity during the COVID-19 crisis. The hospital has continued to offer increased imaging capacity throughout the pandemic with its Somatom Definition Edge CT and Biograph Vision PETCT systems.

With patient experience and outcomes at the centre of the development, a range of imaging equipment from Siemens Healthineers was chosen, including an Artis zee angiography system, a 1.5T Magnetom Sola MRI scanner and a Somatom Confidence CT scanner. Designed to optimise clinical outcomes through high quality, consistent imaging at low dose, the new equipment supports the expansion of clinical services at the hospital and will enable the delivery of a wide range of highly specialist cancer care.

“The new equipment will help us to improve the flow of patients, optimising our workflows and expanding our clinical offering,” said chief AHP and business and clinical development manager for radiology Linda Williams. “We have had great feedback from our staff; MR radiographers love the image quality on the Magnetom Sola and our interventional radiology team really like the CT aspect to the Artis zee. The common platform between systems has facilitated implementation and remote applications training has helped staff to become used to the systems while working across different sites.”

Picture: Clinical specialist PETCT Diana Almeida and higher principal clinical scientist Matt Ward.

Published on page 8 of the May 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.