As part of The BEACH Appeal, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity is raising funds to provide an additional CT scanner in the heart of the future emergency department in the new BEACH building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
While the NHS is funding one CT scanner for the new department, an additional CT scanner costing £800,0000 would enable staff to scan up to 15,000 more patients each year.
The additional CT scanner will also help reduce overnight admissions, reduce emergency department waiting times, optimise the time of porters and ultimately minimise delays and cancellations for CT scans. Ultimately patients will be seen much sooner.
Raising funds for this additional CT scanner has never been more important. Each year, University Hospitals Dorset has seen a 15% increase in the number of patients in the emergency department needing CT scans and this is only set to continue.
From spring 2025, departments for birthing, emergency, critical care and children’s health will be gradually moving in to the BEACH building which will have an improved emergency department and one of the biggest critical care units in the region.
Equipping NHS staff with the additional CT scanner will help enable them to meet this increasing demand.
CT & MRI Superintendent radiographer, Matthew Benbow said: “Having two state-of-the-art CT scanners will enable us to perform the right scan for patients in need of rapid diagnostics. The design of this new facility is revolutionary and based entirely around the concept of patient flow to best serve the demands of all patients admitted to the hospital. Having the additional CT scanner allows us to do so much more for our patients.”
Head of Charity, Debbie Anderson said: “The funds we raise for additional items like this are above and beyond what the NHS can cover. These are the special extras that can really help set our healthcare services apart from other hospitals and ensure our staff are proud to work at such exemplary facilities.”
“We have only just begun and are off to a great start raising funds for the CT scanner but it does take time to reach fundraising targets this high. But we won’t stop until we get there! We know that the funds we hope to raise will make an invaluable difference to everybody who comes through those emergency department doors in the future.”
“Thank you to everybody who has supported The BEACH Appeal so far to help enhance the care provided to us all in the local community.”
The additional CT scanner is one of many items that The BEACH Appeal is raising funds for to help transform care across Dorset. Other items include new bereavement suites in the new maternity unit, indoor and outdoor play areas for children and a wellbeing garden for patients, visitors and staff in the new purpose-built Critical Care Unit.
If you would like to donate or find out more, please go to uhdcharity.org/ctscanner.