Harlow: New Radiology Unit Improves Patient Care

31 August 2012, 07:45 | Updated: 31 August 2012, 08:17

Harlow's Princess Alexandra Hospital has become the first Radiology unit in the UK to offer patients a multi-purpose room for both x-rays and screening procedures.

The improvement is part of a project to improve the experience for patients.

The new machine is able to access x-ray images quicker than ever before and make them available to other specialists at the touch of a button.

The process means more patients can be seen each day, therefore reducing waiting times.

It also means that the patient doesn't have to left alone in the x-ray room while the doctor leaves to look at the results, as it can all be done in the same room.

Julie Matthews is the head of cancer diagnostics here: "This is a very new machine with a low dosage to the patients, so the actual radiation dose that we use in the room is very low.

"And it allows for better throughout of patients so hopefully the patients aren't waiting around for so long.

"When they arrive in the department we can view the images in the x-ray room so we don’t have to leave the patients bedside."