We’ve held an official opening for our new combined SPECT (single-proton emission computed tomography)-CT scanner, which will help us provide more accurate diagnoses for our patients.

The top-of-the-range scanner, which was opened by Alex Sharp (above right in a blue shirt cutting the ribbon), Chairman of Hornchurch Football Club, combines nuclear medicine scans with CT. It is the only one of its kind in London and one of very few across the country.

Karen Gannon (pictured below in a white shirt), our Head of Nuclear Medicine, said:

It’s the first time we’ve had a hybrid scanner and it will allow us to provide more detailed imaging, giving our clinicians a complete view of the patient and their condition, helping them give a more accurate diagnosis.

It’s invaluable and will give our teams the capability to provide the best possible care to our patients.

For some patients, it will mean they no longer need to have separate CT scans. It will also help us cut the time it takes to do cardiology scans in half, from around 20 minutes to less than 10, helping to reduce our waiting lists.

SPECT scans involve injecting a patient with radiation and obtaining a 3D image of blood flow to a range of different organs. They specialise in providing functional information about the body while CT scans give a structural look inside. 

The combined scanner fuses the scans together, helping to inform diagnosis and ongoing treatment.

Alex said:

I was honoured to be asked to open the new scanner, not only as Chairman of Hornchurch FC, but also as a local resident who has been to this hospital on numerous occasions.

The care here is second to none and this is a great thing for the community.

The scanner is currently being used for patients with conditions related to endocrine, rheumatology and cardiology, and will be rolled out to benefit those with other conditions in the future.