Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath gets new state-of-the-art X-ray room

The £342,000 refurbishment at the hospital, which is run by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, includes a state-of-the-art X-ray and a dental imaging machine.

Lead superintendent radiographer Kate Custis said: “This newly refurbished room sees about 60 patients each day for a range of examinations, with referrals from A&E, GP surgeries, outpatients and the wards.”

She said replacing the old equipment with new technology was ‘vital’ and would ‘significantly improve the patient experience’.

She added: “The new equipment is much easier to use and can be easily moved around to suit the needs of each patient.

“The machine rapidly produces high resolution images with associated lower radiation doses, which is safer for patients and allows radiology staff to make accurate diagnoses.”

The equipment is also more efficient, which means reduced waiting times for X-rays.

The refurbishment was partly funded by £260,000 raised by the Princess Royal Hospital League of Friends.

Mercedes Madden, the chair of this charity, said: “The past two years have been challenging, but through the coffee shop turnover and donations, we have been able to continue providing for the comfort of the patients and staff.

“We are delighted to raise £260,000 to fund new equipment for the room and for the benefit of the people of Sussex.

“A lot of thought and effort from the department has gone into designing a very attractive space that is now more modern and spacious and allows patients to flow through the department more easily.”

UHSussex funded and managed the overall refurbishment of the X-ray room.

Senior capital development manager Chris Hampsheir said: “It is always a pleasure to oversee a project that has such a positive impact for patients and staff.

“This is part of a larger capital improvement programme at Princess Royal Hospital.

“We are already building a new Urology Investigation Unit and have plans to start work on a brand-new Endoscopy Unit during this financial year. Both these projects will make a real difference to patient experience.”