Nuffield Health invests £1m in AI-enabled CT suites at Derby and Edinburgh hospitals

Nuffield Health has invested £1m in AI-enabled CT systems at its Derby and Edinburgh hospitals as part of a refurbishment of both diagnostic suites.

The charitable hospital provider has installed the Revolution Ascend CT system from GE HealthCare, which it says will improve diagnostic capacity at the two sites. Together, the hospitals carry out more than 100,000 diagnostic imaging tests each year for conditions including cancers, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal issues and neurological conditions.

The investment comes as NHS England reported more than 1.7 million people were waiting for a key diagnostic test at the end of May, while Public Health Scotland said diagnostic waiting lists were 60% higher than before the pandemic.

The new systems are equipped with innovative AI-empowered technology and an integrated 3D camera which can position patients almost twice as quickly as previous models. They also feature a wider bore to reduce feelings of claustrophobia, while deep-learning image reconstruction provides clearer images and reduces radiation exposure by up to 82%.

Arthur Stephen, chief medical officer at Nuffield Health and orthopaedic surgeon at Derby Hospital, said: ‘With the NHS under sustained pressure and waiting lists at record levels, we have the capacity and the desire to do more. This investment in our diagnostic services will further enable us to work alongside our colleagues in the NHS to deal with rising waiting lists.’

The investment forms part of a wider £200m programme with GE HealthCare to install AI-enabled diagnostic imaging technology across Nuffield Health’s UK hospitals. Each system is supplied with a sustainability passport outlining the use of rare materials, recyclability and energy consumption.