Three sites are merged into new super hospital

Pictured from left are radiographers Anthony Grieveson, Jenna Lewis, Lizzy Long, and Jenni Lunness.

After years of anticipation the new Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham is open.

The diagnostic imaging department forms an integral part of the £256 million redevelopment that brings together services previously provided by the trust’s three sites at Royal Hospital Haslar, St Mary’s Hospital and Queen Alexandra.

Just as three hospitals have merged, three imaging departments have now come together to form a comprehensive imaging service.

Clinical director Dr Simon Ward said: “Our new imaging department offers patients and clinicians the full range of imaging modalities, with state-of-the-art equipment. The design and location of the department puts imaging at the heart of diagnostic and treatment pathways.”

The department has two MRI scanners, three CT scanners, DR, CR, PACS, ultrasound, cardiac-catheterisation laboratories, breast screening,  fluoroscopy screening suites, angiography laboratories, nuclear medicine, SPECT/CT, mobile and theatre x-ray machines and sub-departments in paediatrics, maxillary-facial and emergency care. 

To support clinical services throughout the hospital, the imaging department has designed its facilities to be readily available in the clinical areas where inpatients and outpatients are treated.

As a major part of imaging department’s service delivery to the rest of the hospital is the radiology access unit (RAU).  The RAU is manned by a team of radiologists, with whom clinicians have easy access for specialised radiological opinion and where urgent imaging reports are generated and placed on the hospital PACS system to assist clinicians in their treatment of acute patients.

See the full report on page 31 of the December 2009 issue of RAD Magazine.