The Department of Health and Social Care announced today that Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester is one of 78 NHS Trusts to receive new cancer screening machines.
Trusts will receive funding over the next 2 years to replace, refurbish and upgrade CT and MRI scanners, bringing in alternatives with lower radiation levels; as well as breast screening imaging and assessment equipment.
Chris Loder, Prospective Conservative MP for West Dorset has welcomed the Government’s announcement today that £200 million pounds is being invested in additional cancer screening equipment which will benefit Dorset County Hospital.
Mr Loder, 38 a farmer’s son from Sherborne, said: ‘My aunt sadly died of breast cancer in her 50s because the disease was not detected early enough. My mother was also twice diagnosed with cancer more recently. Dorset hospitals do a wonderful job and this investment will enable detection of cancers much earlier; meaning faster diagnosis, prompt treatment and more lives saved’.
‘I continue to campaign for better services for us in West Dorset and commit to doing much more as I seek to understand the needs and priorities of our hospitals, ensuring the Secretary of State for Health has them as a priority’.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This new state-of-the-art equipment for 78 trusts across England will ensure doctors and clinicians can help even more people survive a cancer diagnosis and stop the disease as early as possible. It’s mission critical that the technology our NHS uses to prevent and diagnose cancer is brought into the 21st century. We have backed the roll-out of these new machines with £200 million in funding, as part of our Long Term Plan, backed by an extra £33.9 billion a year.'
Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director at NHS England, said: 'Cancer survival is at a record high thanks to better prevention, earlier diagnosis and world-leading treatments in the NHS. This major investment in the best modern scanning technology will benefit patients in every part of England, helping us to achieve the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambitions of catching tens of thousands more cancers earlier when they are easier to treat, saving 55,000 more lives every year.
Read the full announcement via www.gov.co.uk
See the full list of Trusts that will receive funding
