Can you help raise money for new state-of-the-art equipment at King's Mill Hospital

Sometimes you do not have to do a lot to save a life.

It can be the little things that help, perhaps donating or fundraising for new state-of-the-art equipment for your nearest hospital.

And that is what patients and specialists at King’s Mill Hospital are asking kind-hearted volunteers to do, as they launch a new campaign – supported by your Chad – today.

They are hoping to buy a new hi-tech scanner, which could speed up the diagnosis of diseases like cancer, helping patients receive the right treatment faster and reducing the need for invasive procedures.

The Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity, which supports the work of the Sutton hospital, needs to raise £550,000 for the gamma scanner with CT scanning technology for the hospital trust’s nuclear medicine department.

It would enable more than 2,000 patients each year to have advanced scans and “revolutionise how they are diagnosed and treated”

Over the next 10 years, cancer, heart, urology and many other patients are expected to benefit from the scanner which will show how the body and its organs function.

It will produce images of inside the body by combining the technology of both a gamma scanner and computerised tomography scanner in a single scan.

This will reduce the number of scans a patient might have to have and speed up diagnosis and treatment time.

Dr Susan Geary, a consultant radiologist at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs King’s Mill, said: “The fusion of the functional data with the high-definition CT imaging allows me to report my findings with much greater accuracy than ever before.

“This is particularly true when imaging the bones, such as when looking for spread of breast or prostate cancer, or looking for evidence of heart disease, these being two of the most common types of scan that we do.

“It’s vital we have access to the latest technology to give our patients the best service.

“I am delighted to be part of this exciting new development.”

In 2013, your Chad led a similar campaign to buy the hospital a new MRI – magnetic resonance imaging – scanner costing £750,000, a target which was hit in nine months.

Reporter Catherine Allen raised £575 after completing the Robin Hood Marathon and more than £450 was raised after journalists Helen Beighton, James Savage and Stephen Thirkill, now your Chad’s head of sport, who took park in a charity spin-a-thon.

Together, SFH and your Chad are urging the local community, businesses and fundraising groups to get behind the appeal in any way they can.

Robert Bradley, SFH nuclear medicine specialist, said: “Our current gamma scanner is an integral piece of hospital equipment and has helped diagnose cancer and other illnesses in more than 15,000 people over the past 10 years.

“However, it is now time to move with the times and bring new technology to the hospital which can benefit even more people.

“As I’m sure most people can appreciate, the cost of replacing such an important piece of equipment is a big investment and so we need the help of as many people as possible – this is your opportunity to contribute to the future of nuclear medicine at your local hospital.

“One of the benefits of the new gamma camera is it will also include a CT scanning function so patients can have two different scans at the same time, cutting down on the number of hospital appointments and scans needed and also enabling us to scan more patients.”

It is hoped the new scanner will be in place and helping to diagnose patients by summer 2019.

What is a gamma scanner?

A gamma scanner uses radioactive isotopes, which are injected into the patient, to produce images of different parts of the body.

A tracer carries the isotope to the part of the body being looked at and gives off gamma rays, which are then detected by the gamma camera.

The rays are then transferred to a computer to produce an image on a screen showing how well an organ or a part of the body is working.

The added benefit of carrying out a CT scan at the same time will combine both image types and provide doctors with more information in one easy scan.

John MacDonald, trust chairman said: “As a community, we’re very lucky to have such a modern hospital offering modern services, such as nuclear medicine, on our doorstep.

“It’s vital we continue to move with the times and offer the most advanced care available as local people deserve high-quality healthcare.

“This is why we’re asking for your help – we know that the scanner will benefit the community for years to come.

“We are delighted the Chad is supporting us throughout our appeal and our staff and volunteers are already working hard to raise funds and come up with new ideas.

“However, we need the support of the public too and we would be incredibly grateful if the local community could also get behind us and make a contribution to the future of local healthcare.”