Duchess of Edinburgh opens new diagnostic wing in Surrey
Her Royal Highness reopened the wing at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
Last updated 8th Jun 2023
The Duchess of Edinburgh has reopened a new diagnostic wing at a Surrey hospital.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, opened the Haste Wing in an event on Tuesday, meeting staff and patients at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
Her Royal Highness originally opened the wing eighteen years ago. The refurbished wing now boasts two state-of-the-art MRI Scanners and four echocardiography machines.
**"It really provides a lift for all the staff"**
The Duchess also named the new MRI scanners, calling them 'Ringo' and 'Starr'.
Louise Stead, the Chief Executive of the Royal Surrey, said "It really provides a lift for all the staff. They really would like to show off the great work that they've done, and I think it was fantastic to have the Duchess back after 18 years to reopen it.
"She actually decided that she would name the scanners, so that was another little touch that we hadn't expected."
Louise also explained what makes the new MRI scanners so pioneering.
"We're able to show films, we're able to have other sensory stimuli, so that particularly children aren't frightened. The scan is so much quicker, so even for patients with dementia, patients with Parkinson's, or small children who might find it difficult to lie still, they're stil able to have really high-quality scans."
The scanners feature artificial intelligence technology, which reduces scan times by 30%.
Ibrahim's son required an MRI Scan at the hospital. Ibrahim told us that he was impressed with the process.
"When we arrived, he got a pre-briefing by doctors as well. We used this Lego which showed a lot about the process. We got the MRI... the doctors had very good communication, what exactly the process was and what would be the next step for it, it was great."