19 January 2012
It's taken a 72-mile sponsored walk and weeks of fundraising, but thanks to the hard work of Epsom Medical Equipment Fund and 17 members of staff from the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECamb), a new mobile x-ray unit has arrived at Epsom Hospital.
The new unit, which cost £53,000, means our doctors and radiographers can assess those patients who are too ill to be moved from bed. And, with state-of-the-art technology onboard, the unit reads the x-ray image there and then at the bedside, without having to be processed and looked at later.
The team of 17 ambulance crew members raised £7,000 towards the total cost of the machine, with a sponsored walk that stretched 72 miles around the coast of the Isle of Wight. The remaining £46,000 was donated to the cause by Epsom Medical Equipment Fund.
Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins said: "Once again, Epsom Medical Equipment Fund have raised a huge amount of money for our hospital. Their commitment to us, coupled with the efforts of SECamb staff, is a wonderful boost for our patients and staff, and I would like to say a huge thank you to them."
Senior radiographer Philip Warren said: "I would like to thank Epsom Medical Equipment Fund and the staff from SECamb for taking on this challenge. The new mobile x-ray unit is a vital piece of equipment for us and our patients, giving us the ability to x-ray patients no matter where they are in the hospital, and even if they're not mobile enough to come to the x-ray department. We are all so incredibly grateful to all those involved."
Bess Harding, co-ordinator of Epsom Medical Equipment Fund, said: "It's truly a pleasure to donate the new x-ray unit to Epsom Hospital. I am incredibly pleased that patients - particularly those who are elderly or acutely unwell - will not have to be taken from their ward to the x-ray department."
For further information about the work of Epsom Medical Equipment Fund, visit our website or call Bess on 020 8337 8181.
