New £2m scanners keep hospital’s nuclear medicine department ‘ahead of the game’

Poole Hospital’s nuclear medicine department has received a significant boost with the roll-out of two new Siemens scanners, designed to improve diagnosis for its patients.

The Intevo Bold Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT)/CT scanners and their installation cost £2 million, and have been funded through a range of sources, including a generous donation of £500,000 from the Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust as well as a grant from NHS Improvement.

The scanners will be used to provide improved diagnosis for cancer, heart disease, kidney issues and gastric problems, and will replace the department’s two original machines.

The new scanners are set to benefit around 3,000 patients annually and faster scanning will allow the department to cut waiting times for diagnosis.

The faster scanning exposes patients to a lower radiation dose and provides more accurate images. In addition, the refurbishment of the department has allowed for the installation of light panels above the scanning couches. When a patient is scanned they can now either gaze at a ‘forest canopy’ or ‘white clouds in a blue sky’.

Commenting on the news, Stuart Dean, Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust chairman, said: “Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust was delighted when the nuclear medicine department approached us to agree to providing £500,000 towards the purchase and installation of the new Siemens SPECT/CT scanners.

“Over the years we have been involved in providing a number of scanners and other equipment to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of cancer.

“We are particularly pleased that this has come about as we are approaching the 50th anniversary of the trust, and nothing could have been achieved without the generosity of donations from the people of Poole and Dorset.”

Dr Kat Dixon, Poole Hospital’s head of nuclear medicine, added: “In nuclear medicine we use radioactive tracers to determine how a particular organ is functioning.

“Patients are injected with a specific radioactive tracer and then we use a gamma camera to see where the radioactive tracer has gone and what it is doing.

“Both new cameras are combined gamma cameras and CT scanners which will provide 3D imaging, fusing together information on function and structure of organs.”

Existing staff trained on previous scanners will be able to switch easily over to using the new scanners as they are also built by Siemens. Once the scanners have been commissioned staff will undertake a week of application training.

Caroline Manwaring-White, radiographer, explained: “I’m really pleased we have been able to secure the two scanners.

“They have a greater ability than our previous ones, and as Dorset’s sole nuclear medicine department, they will keep us ‘ahead of the game’.

“The scanners will give us a more accurate metastatic diagnosis for patients and will be complimentary to the PET CT scanner already in use in the hospital.”

The first scanner is already on site with the department set to receive the second machine in June. They have been affectionally nicknamed ‘Marie’ and ‘Pierre’.

Managing our waiting lists

As our hospitals and staff recover from the large numbers of Covid patients we had earlier in the year, with over 400 at one time in January, we are now focusing on tackling the large waiting lists we have for elective procedures that had to be put on hold. We know how difficult it can be for those waiting and thank everyone for their patience. We are continuing to prioritise our lists and will be contacting patients via text message or letter to obtain further details from them. We ask anyone who receives a text message or letter from University Hospitals Dorset about their care to respond to help us do this.

While we work our way through our waiting lists, we need to ensure that numbers of Covid patients do not rise in such a way ever again, so we urge everyone to follow all government guidelines for the easing of lockdown. We also need to try and keep pressures on our emergency departments down, so we also ask the public to take care when they start exercising more, carrying out gardening and DIY tasks and generally getting out of the house more with the better weather. We are already seeing a rise in the number of patients coming in with injuries such as broken limbs, cuts and bruises following accidents.

Dr Alyson O'Donnell, chief medical officer 

A day of celebrations to launch new hospital charity

The charities linked to the Royal Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals formally joined together today (1 April) to create University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity.

The newly formed charity which has a new logo and branding, retains the same commitment - to fund care and provisions above and beyond what the NHS can offer.

To mark the occasion, a series of celebration events were held for staff and public across all three hospital sites. The events were designed to thank staff and the public for their support and to showcase the new branding - which includes refreshed logos for Bournemouth Hospital Charity, Poole Hospital Charity and Christchurch Hospital Charity.

There were also messages of support from health charity partners as well as good wishes from colleagues and supporters including AFC Bournemouth legend, Steve Fletcher. You can watch the video on the new UHDC website: www.UHDCharity.org

Debbie Fleming, chief executive, said that establishing the new charity makes possible many exciting developments, both now and in the future:

“Every day the staff at UHD do amazing things, our hospitals providing life-changing surgery and care to every NHS patient who need our expert services.

“But generous donations to the charity mean we can do even more to support our patients and staff.

“Through the creation of University Hospital Dorset NHS Charity, we hope that, with the support of our donors, we will be able to make patients and their families more comfortable, provide more and better equipment, and support the health and well-being of our staff.”

Speaking about the news, Debbie Anderson, head of charity, said: 

“The newly formed charity enables us to support a wider range of fundraising and provide even more support across all three hospital sites.

“We urge our wonderful supporters of both Poole Hospital Charity and Bournemouth Hospital Charity to continue to support us in our new partnership so we can do even more to improve patient welfare as well as staff wellbeing and support above and beyond what the NHS can fund.”

The charity will support all areas of work at the University Hospitals Dorset with supporters still being able to donate to a ward, department, or hospital of their choice across Poole, Royal Bournemouth, or Christchurch.

Innovative clinic opens new doors

An innovative nurse-led hospital clinic which aims to help older patients avoid an overnight stay in hospital has opened its brand new facilities.

The Rapid Access Consultant Evaluation (RACE) clinic is a same-day emergency clinic for older people and a key part of the wider RACE unit at Poole Hospital since 2015. 

The clinic enables older patients to have a comprehensive assessment including rapid access to diagnostics and treatment on the same day, avoiding the need for an inpatient stay in hospital.

The clinic is led by a team of advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs), with consultant geriatrician support. The team accept patient referrals directly from both the emergency department and GPs for older patients with a variety of medical complaints and often complex conditions.

The clinic has recently undergone significant investment and expansion – almost doubling in size to provide four bespoke examination rooms, affording greater privacy and dignity for patients, and new patient facilities – and was officially opened on Monday (29 March).

The main clinic room has been furnished with comfortable patient recliner chairs and a television, supported through Poole Hospital Charity’s Christmas appeal, to create a relaxing, calm environment for care and treatment. 

Sue Greenwood retires later this month after joining Poole Hospital in 1981, and performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting on Monday. Sue was on the unit when it opened six years ago – in much humbler surroundings.

“It’s been a privilege to have been part of the clinic since day one, and it is incredible to see its transformation from just a single cubicle to the service we offer today,” said Sue.

“This is a great new chapter in the clinic’s life, and I’m very happy to have been part of its story.”

Dr Freyja Brown, clinical lead, said the clinic has helped shape elderly care beyond Poole Hospital.

“When the clinic first opened, dedicated same-day care for frail patients wasn’t widespread across the NHS as it is now,” she explains.

“As demand for this kind of care for older people has increased, so the RACE clinic has tried to keep pace, and others have been able to learn from its success.

“It is fantastic to see the clinic move from strength to strength to become what we have today – a purpose-built nurse-led clinic offering comprehensive multidisciplinary care to patients.

“The ANPs who deliver this service are rightly proud of it, and that’s a feeling shared by the wider team too.”