Massive investment in X-ray equipment at HRI

Jan 31 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD patients are to benefit from a £1.1m cash injection in X-ray services.

And the investment could pave the way for Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to become one of the region’s top artery screening centres.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is preparing to replace older equipment with a new £600,000 vascular X-ray machine.

The new technology will help specialised radiologists perform complex work on arteries to repair aortic aneurysms.

It will also give the Trust the chance to bid to become a screening centre for aortic aneurysm detection together with Bradford hospitals.

Two new digital X-ray machines – costing around £500,000 – are also being installed at HRI and Todmorden Health Centre. The equipment will produce high quality images very quickly – within five seconds in most cases.

Two replacement ultrasound machines – costing £90,000 each – are also being put in place at HRI and Calderdale Royal Hospital. The Halifax hospital will also benefit from a new image intensifier to show live images during surgical procedures such as orthopaedics.