Oldham PETCT system adds to CDC’s diagnostic services
Ten thousand patients a year in Greater Manchester are expected to benefit from a new digital PETCT scanner that has officially opened in Oldham. Alliance Medical says this is the UK’s first community diagnostic centre (CDC) to have a permanent PETCT facility on site.
Alliance Medical managing director Pete Winchester welcomed chair of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board Sir Richard Leese CBE to cut the ribbon at a celebratory launch event, along with key stakeholders and the Oldham team.
In partnership with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Alliance Medical is working to improve patient pathways and access to cancer diagnostics in Manchester and further afield. The addition of Oldham PETCT centre will significantly increase scanning capacity, up to 35 patients a day.
The Siemens Healthineers Biograph Vision 450 digital PETCT system will help accelerate diagnoses and improve patient outcomes through reduced waiting times and earlier treatment decisions. It will also enable shorter scan times. Centre manager Lauren Evans said: “This new digital PETCT scanner forms a key part of our expansion of Oldham CDC, which already delivers extensive diagnostic services including MRI, CT and PETCT, and lung, heart and blood testing. It is vitally important to our teams that we continue to improve access to high quality healthcare that reduces health inequalities. This new scanner marks a significant milestone in our commitment to reduce waiting lists and provide advanced diagnostic imaging across the UK.’’
Trust CEO Roger Spencer added: “We now have four of these machines, across four different sites, meaning we can see more patients more quickly. One of our aims is to see patients as close to home as possible and the fact that the new scanner is in Oldham, where we also have a local radiotherapy centre, helps us to deliver on this.”
Picture: Alliance Medical MD Pete Winchester (centre left) with NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board chair Sir Richard Leese CBE cutting the ribbon. On the right, back row, are NHS Greater Manchester CEO Mark Fisher and deputy CEO Oldham Council and director of Health and Care Integration (Oldham) NHS Greater Manchester Mike Barker.
Read this report on page 22 of the April 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.
