Royal Berkshire limits imaging backlog with CT unit installed in winter contingency plan

Last updated Dec 21, 2020

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has successfully managed its CT imaging backlog during COVID-19 with the help of a Canon Medical relocatable unit with Aquilion Prime SP CT. It was installed as part of winter 2019/20 contingency funding, but also played a critical role in supporting imaging services during the pandemic.

Positioned on a disused ambulance and disabled parking bay, the relocatable unit’s main objective was to help the imaging department to clear a backlog of outpatient scans from the winter period and ensure same-day care for emergency patients. This was successfully achieved, and its arrival just before the pandemic ensured the trust had a scanner separate from the main department for infection control purposes.

Royal Berkshire CT Scan Unit — Canon Medical Systems UK account manager Iain Burley, CT clinical lead radiographer Sarah Guzvica, radiographer Beverly Besana and lead radiographer CT Stuart Andrew.

“We are a landlocked hospital with no room for further expansion of imaging facilities,” explained lead radiographer CT Stuart Andrew. “Therefore, the option of a relocatable CT in the car park seemed the perfect solution to increase scanning capacity and plan for a future CT upgrade in the main building. It has also helped us defend our imaging services from the unexpected arrival of COVID-19 by providing an additional outpatient scanner that is not directly linked to the main building.

“We have maintained our two-week urgent cancer referral targets during the crisis by having the additional CT scanner and working longer hours and at weekends. This would have been far more difficult without the extra scanner.”

The Canon Medical relocatable unit is designed to feel like a clinical part of the hospital estate. Among its features are a changing area, control and scanning room, clinical flooring, hospital grade heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as data link connectivity to hospital systems.

Lead picture: Inside the relocatable unit are radiographer Beverly Besana, CT clinical lead radiographer Sarah Guzvica and Canon Medical Systems UK account manager Iain Burley.

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