New scanner at North Cambridgeshire Hospital in Wisbech
It's been installed by the QEH
Patients will benefit from a £65,000 Heidelberg Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) retinal scanner which has been installed at North Cambridgeshire Hospital (NCH) in Wisbech.
The new state-of-the-art equipment was installed by The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH), which delivers the Ophthalmology Service at NCH. The OCT was purchased with support provided by a Medical Education Grant from Bayer.
The scanner will enable the retinal service to detect earlier signs of conditions such as age-related wet macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which can cause blindness. The OCT enhances the monitoring of the progression of conditions i.e. how patients are responding to eye treatments. Furthermore, the scanner enables staff to work collaboratively between QEH and NCH sites, to rapidly identify where referrals are needed and ensure patients receive the best possible care.
The purchase is an important step for QEH as it works towards its strategic objective to modernise its infrastructure and medical equipment to support the delivery of optimal care.
OCT Nurses Valerie Feetham, Julie Irons and Sandra Hopkin with the Heidelberg Optical Coherence Tomography retinal scanner at North Cambridgeshire Hospital.
Dr Michael Kouroupis, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Medical Retina Lead at QEH, said:
“The arrival of the Heidelberg OCT scanner is fantastic news for our patients receiving eye care at NCH, and for our dedicated team delivering the retinal service. We’re passionate about promoting eye health in our local community and this new state-of-the-art equipment will further strengthen our delivery of the highest standard of care. I particularly want to thank our Digital team for their efforts to ensure the infrastructure is safe and secure and to staff across Team QEH for making it possible.”
Dr Frankie Swords, Medical Director at QEH, said:
“I am thrilled that our bid for the Heidelberg OCT scanner was successful and that our patients will benefit from this state-of-the-art equipment. It is a fantastic achievement for our eye care services. The installation has been a Team QEH effort, bringing together colleagues from our Digital and Medical teams, and I want to thank everybody involved for their hard work to make it happen.”