New £320,000 x-ray facilities at Morecambe’s Queen Victoria Hospital open

The refurbishment of the facilities includes a new Philips DigitalDiagnost C90 room which offers high-quality diagnostic images and ensures improved patient comfort and experience.

The x-ray department at QVH offers an open access service from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12.15pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm for patients who have been referred via their GP, Outpatients Department and the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), on Hanover Street, Morecambe. The site’s Ultrasound service continues to be by appointment only.

Due to the current coronavirus restrictions, patients must attend alone whenever possible to ensure social distancing and as per government guidance, a face covering must be worn when attending this department.

Sharon Timperley, Head of Department for Radiology, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new Philips DigitalDiagnost C90 room has been designed to produce the highest quality diagnostic images, whilst ensuring patient comfort and improved patient experience. Its versatility and flexibility allow staff to ensure workflow efficiency to assist in reducing patient waiting times within the department.

“The new state-of-the-art equipment will provide many benefits for patients including shorter waiting times due to improved image quality and a reduction in radiation doses in line with the Ionising Radiation Medical Exposure Regulations 2017.”

Kate Maynard, Interim Chief Operating Officer, said: “We’re delighted to open the new x-ray facilities at Queen Victoria Hospital which will help our staff to provide the very best care and experience to patients.”

The trust has invested in the new facilities because the previous X-ray facilities had been in place for 19 years and due to the age of the equipment, there was a large risk of them failing and if that happened, the service would be unable to provide cover for GPs in Morecambe and the surrounding area, the outpatient clinics at QVH and the walk-in centre at QVH.

Building work on the x-ray facilities was postponed due to the current pandemic and restarted on May 15.

The direct line telephone number for the x-ray department is 01524 591360.

Other health services you can access in Morecambe if you have a minor injury:

The Urgent Treatment Centre, on Hanover Street in Morecambe, has access to the X-ray facilities at QVH from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.

People can call or attend the UTC; the UTC is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, between 8am and 8pm and has doctor and nurse appointments available. Due to the current pandemic, the UTC is promoting talk before you walk and encourage patients to call the numbers below prior to attending if possible.

The UTC asks that those people with minor illnesses should always telephone (free) 111 to be advised over the phone and provided with a call back to make an appointment if deemed appropriate. Alternatively, you can call 0300 123 1144 (local rate) if 111 is busy. You will be provided with an appointment during the call if deemed appropriate or other forms of clinical advice will be offered.

For long term conditions please always seek advice from your own GP practice.

Other health services you can access in Morecambe if you need urgent care:

Bay Urgent Care Out of Hours Service, based at QVH, is for ‘urgent’ care during the hours of GP Practice closure and also in a bid to reduce A&E attendances due to care being required within out of hours that is non-emergency. The only form of triage/advice and appointments being provided by this service is by calling 111. This service accepts no form of walk- ins. This service also provides home visits when deemed as appropriate by the working GP.

The service is open seven days a week and opening times are as follows:

Weekday service: Monday to Friday, from 6.30pm to 8am.

Weekend service: Friday to Monday, from 6.30pm to 8am.

Both the UTC and Bay Urgent Out of Hours Service are run by PDS Medical.