Patients in Leeds are to benefit from a state-of-the-art £850,000 X-ray and ultrasound unit.
The radiology department at St James’s Hospital has been centralised and given a complete overhaul with new equipment.
Cutting edge digital wireless X-ray units mean images can be viewed almost instantly at the five hospitals across the city.
Coun Ann Castle, Lord Mayor of Leeds, was at the hospital yesterday to perform the official opening.
The new facility, in Chancellor’s Wing at St James’s, brings together the existing X-ray department and the ultrasound department from nearby Lincoln Wing.
They operate around the clock to provide around 150,000 X-ray and ultrasound examinations to patients at the hospital each year.
Jane Bewell, principal superintendant radiographer, said: “This has been a huge project designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of staff, use our buildings more effectively and deliver better patient care.
“We have achieved all three aims as a result of the changes, and all the staff are very proud of our new department.
“All three of the previous facilities were old and in need of repair and modernisation, and the X-ray equipment in there was ageing. Redesigning the department as an integrated unit has allowed us to address this and bring in new state-of-the-art machines for our patients.
“The challenge for us was both to design a new facility which fitted more services into less overall space, and keep the normal workload of the department running throughout the changes. Staff at all levels were involved in planning the layout of the new facility, and we also took on board feedback from patient surveys.”
In the new unit, the wireless digital X-ray rooms are more comfortable for patients on trolleys, while a new smaller, lighter ultrasound machine will mean patients on wards who cannot come to the unit can have the tests quickly.
There is also a new entrance, a central inpatient waiting area and more outpatient waiting areas outside the x-ray and ultrasound examination rooms.
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