A million pound refurbishment of the X-Ray department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn is benefiting patients and radiographers.

Three digital X-ray rooms have been fitted with new imaging equipment which are providing high quality images to help speed up diagnosis.

The King’s Lynn hospital has also invested in a new £100,000 portable unit, which can be used in A&E or on the wards for patients who are too ill to be moved to the X-ray department.

The new Carestream equipment has a greater range of movement than the previous equipment, which creates a more comfortable experience for patients.

The equipment is also more efficient as radiographers can review the images instantly for technical and clinical accuracy, reducing the need for patients to wait outside the X-ray room.

Service manager Ann Garner is pleased with the latest addition to the trust.

She said: “All of this work has been completed in a short space of time and with minimal disruption to the running of the department.

“The new equipment is not only more efficient but the images are also of a higher quality and provide our Radiographers with greater flexibility.”

The hospital’s X-ray department images 77,000 patients each year and those patients referred by their GP or out-patient doctor are most likely to see the benefit.

Medical director Dr Tim Petterson said: “As a hospital we are on a journey towards excellence and this latest investment will help improve the experience for our patients.”

This is the latest in a series of large investments at the hospital, including the £3.2 million laparoscopic theatre renovation programme, breast unit and the Waterlily Birth Centre.