Boost for patients and staff with £2.2m CT scanner replacement at Glangwili General Hospital 

Patients across southwest Wales have been given a boost following the installation of a brand new, £2.2m state-of-the-art CT scanner at Glangwili General Hospital.

 The scanner, which has been funded by a Welsh Government grant, incorporates the latest technology available and will greatly improve the patient experience with increased resolution and faster scan times.

Wrist and elbow scans can now be performed with the patient sitting in a chair, and the imaging can be performed in 4D. Cardiac scans can be acquired in a single heartbeat and will allow Glangwili to provide a Cardiac CT service to our patients and the new scanner means that brain scans can be scanned in one rotation (0.40 sec), which will benefit paediatric patients. The scanner also has an extended table length which means we can scan from head to feet.

Sarah Procter, Lead Superintendent Radiographer at Glangwili General Hospital, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have this piece of technology at the health board. It will make an incredible difference to our patients – it is much more patient friendly and produces vastly superior image quality. Thank you to all involved in the procurement, construction and installation.”

In an additional boost, the hospital’s Radiology Department has also been carefully redesigned to improve the patient experience, and now boasts two separate waiting rooms for inpatients and outpatients, patient toilets, a changing room and a cannulation area.  The unit is decorated with murals of Carmarthenshire’s landscapes and includes adjustable lighting.

Andrew Carruthers, Executive Director of Operations, said: “This investment from the Welsh Government will be a great benefit to our patients. It will allow the health board to tackle our Covid-19 backlog by increasing our capacity and reducing waiting times.”

The demountable CT scanner, which had been situated temporarily in the hospital car park, will now move to Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest pending the replacement of their scanner.