Ramsay Health Care investing into diagnostic services
2021 was a defining year for Ramsay Health Care UK with significant expansion of their UK footprint. Ramsay invested over £28m into diagnostic services in 2020/21 in recognition of the growing demand from patients and referrers, particularly in relation to cancer services.
The mobile fleet is now made up of seven MRI scanners and three CT scanners, with additional mobile MRI and CT mobile scanners joining the fleet in 2022. Ramsay also has a further six static CT and 11 static MRI scanners across their 36 hospitals. With upgrades planned for three hospital MRIs and new MRI installs planned in 2022 to support the local health market, the organisation has a clear investment strategy to increase its diagnostic capacity. On average, the mobile service performs 45,000 scans each year, in addition to the scanning undertaken in Ramsay radiology departments within the hospital setting. Since March 2020, over 130,000 patients have been scanned within a Ramsay Health Care UK diagnostic facility.
Ramsay’s investment in 2021 included six 3D mammography machines, alongside many other imaging modalities including C-arms, ultrasound, digital x-ray and the cross sectional modalities. The 3D mammography machine creates multiple images of the breast from different angles and is used to look for breast cancer in people who have no signs or symptoms. It can also be used to investigate the causes of breast problems. The machine enables teams to provide a superior breast imaging service, with high demand from privately insured or self-paying patients. 3D mammography has a number of benefits over full field digital mammography (FFDM) including:
- Fewer call backs for additional imaging
- Improved imaging of dense breast, identifying very small lesions that might otherwise be missed in FFDM
- Faster detection, due to the multiple slice imaging of tissue
- Reduced false positives
- 3D mammography has also been shown to be more effective in women 65 and over.
- Increased comfort during the procedure
Clare House, head of diagnostics said, “The considerable investment Ramsay has made in diagnostics is set to continue, providing greater access to the local communities for key diagnostic tests, resulting in earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for all our patients.”
Ramsay has an ambitious programme in place to deliver its diagnostic strategy, and the considerable investment is set to continue ensuring services are accessible at all their hospital locations for all of the patients they treat.
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