New x-ray machine means local hospital is no longer bare bones

Patients in a growing north-east town are benefiting from a hospital upgrade.

A new digital processing system installed at Turrif Hospital's X-ray department means an improved service for the community.
The hospital's radiographer, Helen Anderson, will now be using electronic images, rather than processing film in a dark room using chemicals.

The new, improved images will then be sent to NHS Grampian and the national storage system, PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications Systems).

Helen said: "This is an excellent system. It means x-rays are immediately available to check here, or to be viewed digitally in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a specialist's opinion.

"They can also be used for remote consultations, where the patient is in Turrif and the consultant is elsewhere in Grampian or beyond.

"The consultant sees the digital image on their own computer screen, instead of having to view the old style X-ray film via telemedicine."

The advance has also been welcomed by patients of the hospital.

Dad-of-one Duncan Robertson, 31, who suffers from a long-term back problems, said: "This is a major step forward. It will make a real difference to people who need to get the results from their X-rays quickly or to have them looked at as soon as possible by a consultant 40 miles away in Aberdeen."

Allister Thomas