Staff in front of the new Gamma scanner
Staff in front of the new Gamma scanner

A new scanner that will help provide quicker diagnoses and more accurate scans for patients in west Hertfordshire has been installed at Hemel Hempstead Hospital.

The new piece of kit, called a gamma camera, brings many benefits, including higher quality images and reduced scanning time. It will also provide a more comfortable experience for patients.

The Nuclear Medicine department, pictured above, held a launch event on Tuesday 27 August to mark the arrival and installation of the exciting new piece of equipment.

Gamma cameras scan the functions of the human body in a way quite unlike other scanners. They are used to investigate cancer, kidney and thyroid issues, for example, in both adults and children.

The camera takes images of a patient'y after an injection of a radioactive tracer and then follows the distribution of that tracer within the body.

Colleagues in the Nuclear Medicine department at Hemel Hempstead Hospital are delighted with the new scanner and are looking forward to enhancing the patient experience.

Nuclear Medicine Radiographer Leads, Crisha Jaguegivane and Georgina Haywood, said: "The new gamma camera at Hemel is an example of what the future will bring in the Radiology department at West Herts.

"We would like to thank all our team who have been extremely supportive throughout the refurbishment."