A new specialist scanner which helps to diagnose cancer has arrived in South Tyneside, meaning patients can have their scans much closer to home instead of having to travel to Newcastle or Middlesbrough.
The PET-CT scanner is one of the most advanced pieces of diagnostic equipment used by the NHS, helping to detect conditions such as cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders. It can also help plan for surgery and treatment.
Patients from South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham will greatly benefit from this new technology and have more choice over where they receive their treatment.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive Ken Bremner MBE, pictured with Alliance Medical’s Managing Director Richard Evans on the site of the visiting PET-CT scanner.
In the past, these scans were only available at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle or James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
The new scanner is supporting South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s efforts to get more people back in for their planned care following the pandemic and adds to its CT and MRI capabilities.
The mobile unit, operated by Alliance Medical, the Trust’s long-time partner in scanning services, is a welcome addition and leads the way for when the new Integrated Diagnostic Centre has its own permanent version of the kit.
Among the first patients to undergo a check was Eileen Moseley from Pennywell in Sunderland, who was able to have a scan much quicker after she was offered an appointment ahead of the one planned in Newcastle.
The grandmother-of-five and great-grandmother-of-one was sent for a PET-CT scan on her lungs.
Eileen, who worked in the catering department of Sunderland Royal Hospital for 30 years, was able to be taken to her appointment by a family member, which would have been difficult if it had been arranged for a weekday.
She was among those invited to undergo their scan at South Tyneside District Hospital as the PET-CT scanner began its visits to the site.
The 75-year-old said: “The staff were absolutely lovely, they really looked after me. I had the injection then was in the scanner for about 20 minutes and then I was finished.
“If I’d had to go to the Freeman, it would have been a trek for me and my daughter, and she works during the week anyway. They were very friendly and explained the scan, made sure I was comfortable and the scanner was really quiet. I was happy I was able to get it done sooner than expected.”
Ken Bremner MBE, the Trust’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have the PET-CT scanner on site and to be able to offer this specialist treatment to patients much closer to their home.
“Whilst we are eager to see our £10m Integrated Diagnostic Centre start to take shape this year, we also know that we still have a lot of work to do to get patients back in for their tests and scans. The PET-CT increases our capacity to do this and also reaffirms our commitment to investing in outstanding facilities that will benefit local people for years to come.”
A PET-CT scan is a specialist diagnostic procedure which uses a mildly radioactive drug to show areas of the body where cancer cells may be active.
The Integrated Diagnostic Centre in South Tyneside will include world-class MRI and CT scanning equipment, clinical consultation rooms, as well as a ‘docking’ station for mobile scanners that may be needed in future to cope with the ever rising demand.
Equipped with the latest technology, the new diagnostic centre will be fully integrated to the Trust’s digital patient record systems, allowing consultants to view and report on images in multiple locations, including their own homes.
This will mean a much quicker reporting turnaround time so that patients can begin treatment sooner.
The investment has been made possible thanks to partnership working with Alliance Medical who have provided mobile diagnostic vans to STSFT for over ten years and already provide PET-CT scanning across the entire NHS.
As the NHS recovers from COVID-19 and begins to tackle the major backlog of patients now waiting for treatment, South Tyneside’s new Integrated Diagnostic Centre will play a pivotal role in reducing waiting lists.
More patients will have access to scans and will experience their care from a new purpose-built, permanent facility.
Patients in Sunderland and Durham will still be able to access scans locally at Sunderland Royal Hospital and Durham Treatment Centre, but will have the choice of an appointment in South Tyneside once the new Integrated Diagnostic Centre is operational.
