RNOH Charity funds new super scanner for the hospital!

Posted by June Heath on 13 September 2024

We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of RNOH Charity funding for a CurveBeam HiRise scanner at RNOH. With the closure of the previous PedCAT scanning service, this cutting-edge machine is vital for the hospital to continue to provide life-changing care to thousands of children and adults, and in a way that will significantly improve the patient experience at the hospital. Thanks to our incredible supporters, we expect the scanner to be installed and ready for use before the end of this year.

The exciting addition of the HiRise will re-introduce some scanning services to Stanmore and increase capacity, considerably reducing the burden on hospital services. Importantly, this advanced machine should also cut waiting times by 50%, following the recent surge in demand that had seen appointment delays of up to three hours in busy clinics.

RNOH has been at the forefront of weight-bearing CT technology in the UK, earning prestige for world-leading research and serving patients for many years. The previous PedCAT service completed 935 scans in 2024. However, that provision closed in July, leaving RNOH unable to perform this essential service and forcing the hospital to turn patients away.

RNOH Trust Chief Executive Professor Paul Fish said: “I am delighted that RNOH will receive a CurveBeam HiRise, which will not only reinstate some on-site services but also significantly enhance our provision. As well as foot and ankle images, we will be able to perform upper limb scans with this machine, helping more people with a single device and at lower radiation doses than before. Offering more than 8,000 appointments a year and providing fast, detailed 3D images, the HiRise will help a broad spectrum of our patients, supporting surgical teams across the hospital and researchers around the world. We are sincerely grateful for the incredibly generous donations from RNOH Charity’s wonderful supporters.”

RNOH Charity Chief Executive Rosie Stolarski said: “We are really pleased to be funding the scanner at such a critical time. It is thanks to our key supporters that we can now secure this much-needed and innovative technology, further solidifying RNOH’s reputation as a Centre of Excellence in orthopaedics and positively impacting more patients at RNOH.”