Spire invests £1.3m in new CT scanner for Spire Norwich, bringing faster diagnoses for cancer patients

Spire Norwich hospital has unveiled a new, state-of-art CT scanner, which will speed up diagnoses for patients with cancer and other diseases.

The scanner represents a £1.3m investment by Spire Healthcare. It will enable up to 20 patients a day to receive a scan for cancer, neurological, stomach and kidney problems. At present, the hospital is supporting the NHS in responding to the pandemic, and the scanner will help provide diagnoses for both NHS and private patients. This will alleviate pressure on waiting lists and reduce the amount of time NHS patients wait for a scan.

Scans will take less time to be completed, using the new machine, in a more calming environment for patients. The scanning service currently operates during the week, but the new machine will enable the service to be extended to the weekend, if there is demand. After scans are completed, an expert member of Spire’s team can provide a diagnosis and advise on the most appropriate treatment, if this is necessary.

The installation of the scanner was a complex process, which entailed teams working on site for six weeks to build it up from scratch. Strict infection control processes were put in place to keep patients and staff COVID-secure during the construction process and the teams went to considerable effort to reduce noise and disruption over the six-week period so that the hospital could continue to function normally.

Nayab Haider, Hospital Director at Spire Norwich, said: Here at Spire Norwich Hospital, we are absolutely committed to making sure our patients can have fast access to diagnosis and treatment. Investing in state-of-the-art facilities, like our new scanner, enables us to do this.

“We are proud to have played an important role in helping to keep cancer services going during the pandemic, when local trusts have needed to focus on treating COVID-positive patients. With our new scanner, we can continue to do this.”

As part of Spire’s contract with NHS England to provide support during the pandemic, a chemotherapy service was established at Spire Norwich during the first wave. This enabled chemotherapy provision in the area to move from the NHS Trust to Spire. During the first peak, 60-70 patients a day were seen by the service, and up to 1,000 NHS patients a week received care at the hospital.

John Lyndon-Taylor, a patient at Spire Norwich Hospital, had not had a CT scan before and was impressed that the process was over in just 15 minutes. He said: “I wanted to say how grateful I am to the CT team for making my appointment so relaxed and stress-free. The CT Technicians were so helpful in explaining the full process. My thanks to them all.”