Public Health Minister Jenni Minto, has visited NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the first day of Healthcare Science Week.
The Minister was joined by the Chief Scientific Officer for Scotland, Professor Catherine Ross, and was welcomed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus by Ian Ritchie, Vice-Chair of NHSGGC, and Professor Angela Wallace, Executive Nurse Director.
During her tour, which was led by Karen Brazier who is the Healthcare Science Professional Lead in the Board, the Minister met a number of Healthcare Scientists who work across a range of specialisms to help provide world-leading care to people from the NHSGGC areas as well as highly specialised regional and national services to patients throughout Scotland.
Ms Minto was one of the first people to see the new state-of-the-art scanner recently installed in the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Royal Hospital for Children.
The new Gamma Camera scanner can be used to acquire static photos and dynamic videos of radiation within the body. By rotating the detector around the patient, it can also produce 3D images of the radiation within the patient, known as SPECT images.
The new scanner also contains a CT scanner which allows it to produce hybrid 3D images called SPECT/CT. These images show the 3D radiation distribution (SPECT) combined with patient anatomy (CT).
As well as being given a rundown of the new equipment, the Minister was able to see the specially commissioned artworks decorating the room. These are designed to create a more welcoming and less intimidating environment for the young patients who will use it.
Dr Hugh Wallace, Principal Clinical Scientist, said: “The new Gamma Camera scanner represents a significant upgrade for Paediatric Nuclear Medicine at the RHC.
“Up until now, when children have needed this equipment we have needed to use the adult scanner, but the arrival of this new apparatus means we have been able to create an environment designed specifically for the care of children and young people.”
During her visit, Ms Minto toured the Department of Microbiology, to see the highly specialised work carried out there. This includes the WASPLab fully automated specimen processing and digital imaging system and the new Virtou blood culture systems, both of which make a major contribution to patient care and clinical decision making.
At the Maxillofacial Laboratory, Ms Minto met health care scientists responsible for the design and construction of custom-made corrective medical devices to help patients with malformation, cancer or trauma – especially in the skull, jaw and face. The suite also contains a new state of the art 3D printer used to print custom made medical devices to enhance patient treatment.
She also visited the Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physiology Department, where Respiratory and Sleep Physiologists evaluate the function of the heart and lungs and monitor breathing during sleep to diagnose sleep-disordered breathing conditions.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “It’s been fascinating to see first-hand the important role that our healthcare scientists play in ensuring patients across Scotland receive the best possible treatment. They are at the heart of delivering world-leading healthcare advances that can lead to better outcome for patients.
“I was also particularly pleased to see how the scientific workforce use equipment and technology to meet the specific needs of patients, in particular our children and young people where considerable effort has also been made to make the hospital environment more welcoming for them.”
Professor Angela Wallace said: “Healthcare Science Week is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the roles of people who would not normally be recognised for the work they do, and we would like to thank Ms Minto for marking it by visiting the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus.
“Every day NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde cares for thousands of patients, and the services we provide are very much a team effort. We would like to thank all our staff, no matter who they are or what they do, for the role they play in looking after the people of Scotland.”
Healthcare Science Week is an annual week-long programme designed to promote and celebrate the important work of Healthcare Science professionals. The week aims to raise awareness of the wide range of careers and roles within Healthcare Science, highlighting the difference they all make to patients’ lives.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is using the week to tell the public and other health professionals about the roles of its own Healthcare Scientists, and how science and technology is vital in modern patient care. It is also an invaluable opportunity for existing Healthcare Science staff to inspire the next generation by promoting the new career structures in local schools and colleges.
