A BRAND new £500,000 state-of-the-art radiotherapy CT scanner has been officially opened at Musgrove Park Hospital by the Mayor of Taunton, Catherine Herbert.
The scanner is a vital piece of equipment which is essential in the planning of radiotherapy treatment.
The SURE charity (Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment) has raised the money to buy the radiotherapy scanner through the dedication of its team of fundraisers in the community.
Jo Penman, head of radiotherapy services at Musgrove Park Hospital, said: “This new CT will provide our patients with a state of the art scanning, which is quicker for patients and provides greater accuracy with better image quality.
“We want to thank our charity, SURE, and its fundraisers, as well as the people of Somerset for their generosity in raising this essential funding to pay for the new scanner.
“The work that SURE does continues to support our radiotherapy department with its endless dedication and efforts and this benefits patients with cancer across the whole of our region.
“Our staff have also worked really hard over the last months to ensure that our patients have been scanned for their radiotherapy in a professional and efficient way without incurring any delays to their treatment.”
The radiotherapy CT planning scanner is the first major piece of equipment to be upgraded as part of a three-year equipment replacement programme.
This will enable the Beacon Centre to continue to provide the latest range of radiotherapy treatments for its patients.