New scanners and X-ray equipment to speed up diagnosis of people across Wales

Patients across Wales will benefit from faster and more accurate diagnoses as nine hospitals receive new scanning and X-ray equipment.

The Welsh Government is investing more than £12m to replace ageing imaging systems at hospitals including Royal Gwent, Bronglais and Wrexham Maelor, helping more patients to be seen and treated more quickly.

New CT, X-ray and bone density scanners will replace equipment that had become unreliable and increasingly difficult to repair, reducing the time lost to breakdowns and maintenance.

Aneurin Bevan University health board will receive more than £2.7m to replace a SPECT-CT scanner at the Royal Gwent Hospital to reduce time lost to maintenance and improve clinical resilience.

Cardiff & Vale UHB will benefit from nearly £2m to upgrade fluoroscopy equipment – digital imaging equipment providing real-time images of the inside of the body during diagnosis and treatment – at University Hospital Llandough.

The new systems have improved features around image quality and reliability, improved clinical services and ensuring patients can receive minimally invasive procedures and imaging in the Radiology department.

Hywel Dda UHB will replace a 20-year-old bone density scanner at Bronglais Hospital after an investment of more than £628,000, significantly improving throughput at a time of increasing demand.

More than £6.7m will fund nine new digital X-ray rooms across Betsi Cadwaladr, Cardiff & Vale and Swansea Bay health boards, benefiting Bryn Beryl, Dolgellau, Wrexham Maelor, Mold, Llandough, the Children's Hospital for Wales, Singleton and Neath Port Talbot hospitals.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles said:

“We are replacing ageing equipment with the latest technology in a bid to improve the resilience, reliability and efficiency of diagnostic services across Wales.

“This equipment – including CT scanners, X rays and high-resolution imaging of bones, organs and soft tissues – will help increase the number of scans able to take place and improve patient flow through the healthcare system.

“Improving the ergonomics of X-ray equipment will also make it easier to use for staff, with most being fully automated for positioning, so they can be more efficient and benefit patient care.”

Notes to editors