The specialist furniture chosen reflected the camera’s value and advanced technology contained within the new suite, creating a streamlined environment with infection control built in.
A new gamma camera room
The Princess of Wales Hospital (PoWH) is a District General Hospital in Bridgend, Wales. In 2022/2023, its operator, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, received over £5.8million funding from the Welsh Government’s national programme to replace diagnostic imaging equipment across the country. Part of the funding was earmarked for a new gamma camera at the Princess of Wales Hospital to provide advanced imaging capabilities for the radiology department. The previous scanner had served the hospital well for many years, but funding from the programme enabled a modern replacement, including an update of the entire gamma camera suite.
A gamma camera is an extremely sensitive method of diagnostic imaging used in nuclear medicine. It is typically employed to help radiographers investigate and monitor a patient’s condition following treatment for a range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, lung clots and kidney function. It follows radioactive injections to specific organs within the body and converts the data into a digital image of the area concerned. Because of the risk from the radioactive isotopes, the installation at the Princess of Wales also required the construction of a shielded room to house the gamma camera and associated equipment, including a control room.
Effective materials management
Medstor was brought in to provide a range of platinum white HTM 71 base and wall units in the gamma camera room. The units maximise space and improve workflow by ensuring all consumables are stored safely and are easily access when needed. They are available in a wide selection of sizes and configurations with many shelving, door, drawer and worktop options. The cabinet interiors are built around Medstor’s unique and highly efficient tray-and-liner system.
Medstor also supplied and installed Corian Solid Surface worktops in the gamma camera room and control room. Seamless in design and non-porous, Corian Solid Surface has no grout lines and no place for bacteria and mould to take root. It is also non-porous, so stains cannot penetrate the surface. The wall units and worktops selected complemented the modern, fresh design of the upgraded facility.
During 2022-23, the Medstor installations team undertook considerable works to deliver the scheme within programme and budget, so the facility could be up and running as soon as possible, and patients benefitting from faster scan times, sharper images, lower radiation dose, greater reliability, and a more pleasant treatment environment.
Replacing imaging equipment across Wales
The Welsh government’s upgrading of vital technology and equipment, including MRI and CT scanners, ensures people waiting for scans are seen faster and thus reduces their levels of anxiety and concern. It helps ensure NHS Wales has up-to-date diagnostic facilities using the latest imaging technology. Image quality is also improved, supporting earlier and more accurate diagnosis of many common diseases, including cancer.
When it launched, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said of the investment programme: “We are committed to ensuring NHS Wales has the right diagnostic tools and equipment needed to care for people throughout Wales. By ensuring we have facilities fit for the 21st century, we can significantly improve people’s care through earlier and more accurate diagnosis and help reduce the stress and anxiety people experience while waiting for these tests.”
Medstor healthcare storage solutions
The storage solutions Medstor provided for the Princess of Wales Hospital are typical of the highly effective products it designs for healthcare facilities throughout the world. Every element of each racking system or cabinet has beautifully simple, clean, sleek lines that not only complement the design of the room or building but also offer increased storage capacity, better cost efficiency through improved stock control, and dramatically enhanced infection control.
As everything made by Medstor is designed and built in-house in the UK, with some final assembly taking place in the receiving country if products are being exported, quality is controlled from start to finish, with a dedicated team working to guarantee the most successful and aesthetic utilisation of space.
