Newquay Community Hospital to get major x-ray upgrade
The work is expected to take up to eight weeks
Last updated 11th Jan 2024
Staff at one of Cornwall's community hospitals say new x-ray equipment will allow them to see more patients and treat them faster.
A major upgrade to facilities at Newquay Community Hospital will start this week.
The new digital radiography equipment uses x-ray–sensitive plates to directly capture data during patient examinations. The data is transferred to a computer system without the need for a cassette. This speeds up the process and produces higher quality images.
Senior Radiographer Suzanne Grice-Renault has been doing the job for 40 years. She says the wait will be worth it, for staff and patients:
"The upgrade is much needed. We will upgrade the whole room and patients will be seen in a very timely manner. It will take a matter of minutes, rather than 10 to 15 minutes per patient.
"At the moment, we get 25 to 30 patients a day coming through here. Other sites where the new equipment has been installed are seeing up to 50 patients. It is a win-win for everybody."
Newquay Minor Injury Unit will remain open throughout the upgrade, however x-rays will not be available.
The x-ray room at Newquay will close from 12.00pm on Wednesday 10 January. Work to install the new equipment is expected to up to eight weeks.
Patients who feel they may need an X-ray can visit other minor injury units. These include Camborne Redruth Community Hospital, St Austell Community Hospital and Bodmin Community Hospital.