Following a £2.6 million refurbishment, the three plain film X-ray rooms in QMC A&E department are reopening to patients with brand-new equipment.
The three rooms see about 1,300 X-rays taken every week – around 200 a day, amounting to more than 70,000 every year.
Work on the rooms began in January this year and was much needed, as the equipment had come to the end of its natural life and the rooms were in a poor condition, impacting patient experience, says NUH NHS Trust.
The works, delivered by the NUH Estates Capital Development Team, have stripped-out all three rooms, including replacing the ceiling tiles, doors and flooring, repainting the walls, and installing a full-wall, ocean-themed mural in each room. The corridor has also had a refresh during the works.
All three rooms have been refurbished with full plain film X-ray equipment, with the addition of a dental X-ray machine in one of the rooms.
Two of the X-ray rooms are already back in use, and the final X-ray room – with an underwater mural on the wall more suited to our paediatric patients – is also nearing completion and is due to have equipment installed by Philips in the coming weeks. It is expected to be ready for patient use next month.
The replacement of electrical wiring as part of the supply to the three X-ray rooms, and some final work to the flooring in the patient waiting area, still needs to be carried out and is scheduled for the end of this month.
Funding for this refurbishment has come from NHS England as part of enabling works funding to support the future redevelopment of our A&E spaces.
Rachel Machin, Modality Manager for Plain Film and Paediatric X-ray, said: “We are delighted with the newly refurbished rooms, which are already making such a difference both to our staff and to our patients.
“The new murals have already been a talking point with patients, and we can’t wait to have Room 2 finished, as this will be our child-friendly room with an amazing under-the-sea mural.
“To have fully functioning, modern X-ray rooms means we can see more patients more quickly, which will reduce waiting times and provide our patients with a better overall experience.
“Staff will also benefit from the refurbishment, as they are now working in a bright, modern department. Thank you to all our ED colleagues for their support and flexibility while the work was carried out.”
