Watford MP officially opens state of the art scanner suite

Richard Harrington, MP for Watford, has officially opened the state of the art cardiac imaging suite at Watford General Hospital.

The suite housing cardiac MRI and cardiac CT scanners offers patients a unique service with access to advanced cardiac imaging technology in a refurbished setting much closer to home.

The two year project to install the scanners at Watford General Hospital involved a major refurbishment in the radiology department, close collaboration between the radiology and cardiology services and the recruitment of new medical, radiographer, nursing and secretarial staff.

Richard Harrington said: “It was a huge pleasure to officially open the new cardiac MRI and CT imaging suite at Watford General. This is an impressive, state-of-the art facility and a really important development for cardiology locally. Having this specialist equipment based in Watford means that patients won’t have to travel far for their scans. It was great to chat to staff and hear their enthusiasm for the new equipment and refurbished unit.”

A major expansion in non-invasive cardiac imaging is a very important development for cardiology locally and enables cardiologists and radiologists to work together for the benefit of patients.

Consultant cardiologist Niall Keenan said:  “Opening our new cardiac imaging suite at Watford is a huge step forward both for West Herts patients and for our cardiology and radiology departments. We now have the very latest cardiac MRI and CT equipment locally, so that our patients can benefit from the cutting edge of non-invasive cardiac assessment. Previously we were sending hundreds of patients to other centres mainly in London, but now we can do these scans in house, using our own highly skilled team. The imaging centre is beautifully laid out and the feedback from patients, relatives and staff has been excellent.”

Since the cardiac CT scanner was installed last April the trust has performed over 1,200 CT cardiac exams and there have been almost 500 MRI cardiac scans since May for the benefit of patients.