Clinical Imaging
The award-winning Royal Cornwall Hospitals Clinical Imaging team uses radiography to diagnose, assess and treat patients across Cornwall.
We use highly specialist equipment to provide a range of procedures, including:
- Bowel Imaging, as part of the NHS programme and also for patients who have been referred by their clinician.
- Breast imaging. Screening as part of the NHS programme and when patients are referred by their GP.
- DEXA Bone density scans to assess the risk of fracture.
- Computed Tomography (CT) scans to look at organs and soft tissue.
- Fluoroscopy, which uses x-rays to produce a video to look at the body in ‘real-time’ for example bowel movements or swallowing assessments.
- Interventional Radiology is used for image-guided treatments, such as angioplasty or stents, which are less invasive than traditional surgery.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a strong magnetic fields to take detailed pictures of organs and soft tissue.
- Nuclear Medicine uses a radioactive injection (tracers) to look at the structure or function of parts of the body.
- Trauma, Acute and General X-ray to look at bones and soft tissues.
- Ultrasound to take sonar images of the body. Ultrasound is used for a wide range of conditions, including pregnancy scans.
- Vascular & Cardiac Imaging to diagnose and treat various cardiovascular conditions.
Our Clinical Imaging Facilities and Contact Numbers
To make, change or cancel an appointment
| Type of appointment | Telephone number |
|---|---|
| CT Scans | 01872 252290 |
| MRI | 01872 252290 |
| X-Ray | 01736 758851 or 01736 874233 |
| Ultrasound | 01736 874230 or 01872 252290 |
| At the Mermaid Centre for Breast Imaging and Surgical Outpatients | 01872 252880 |
If you have a query or are running late for an appointment, please contact the relevant local facility
| Location | Services | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Cornwall Hospital | Ultrasound and CT department reception | 01872 255181 |
| Mermaid Centre reception at Royal Cornwall Hospital | Breast Screening and Mammogram | 01872 252880 |
| West Cornwall Hospital | X-ray CT Ultrasound |
01736 874233 or 01736 874230 |
| St Michael’s Hospital | X-ray | 01736 758851 |
| Bodmin Hospital | X-ray | 01208 251576 |
| Bodmin Hospital | Ultrasound | 01208 251320 |
| Camborne Redruth Community Hospital | X-ray Ultrasound |
01209 318015 |
| Falmouth Hospital | X-ray | 01326 430013 |
| Helston Hospital | Ultrasound | 01736 874230 or 01872 252290 |
| Newquay Hospital | X-ray | 01637 834822 |
| St Austell Hospital | X-ray Ultrasound |
01726 873005 |
| Stratton Hospital, Bude | X-ray | 01288 320109 |
| St Mary’s Hospital, Isles of Scilly (Open once a week on a Wednesday) | X-ray | 01720 422392 |
For any other enquiries, please contacts the General Imaging Department reception on 01872 252290
How we store our images
Imaging Children
The Clinical Imaging Team
The Clinical Imaging service is provided by a range of highly trained professionals and supporting staff. We work together to try to make every patient’s experience positive. We are extremely proud of our teams who have won awards for their excellence both within the organisation and nationally, including an award for exemplar status from the British Society for Interventional Radiology.
Who you might meet:
Consultant Radiologists
Radiologists are highly qualified and experienced doctors who specialise in Clinical Imaging. They direct a wide range of patient care, perform image-guided procedures, and interpret images to diagnose a huge range of conditions.
Consultant Radiographers
Consultant Radiographers are highly specialised radiographers who have completed post-graduate training in their chosen field. Our consultants are based in breast imaging and gastrointestinal imaging where they carry out image-guided procedures and interpret images to diagnose conditions and inform patient care. See below for a full list of our consultants and their special interests.
Sonographers
Sonographers are expert practitioners in ultrasound. They use sonography to scan most areas of the body and detect any abnormalities, as well as performing image-guided procedures.
Radiographers
Our skilled radiographers operate highly complex equipment to take the images that our consultant radiologists, consultant radiographers and reporting radiographers then use to describe any findings. Radiographers perform a wide range of work across all types of imaging, although some do specialise. Radiographers are ably supported by our Assistant Practitioners.
Assistant Practitioners
We are very proud of our assistants, who work alongside our radiography team to acquire images. Their knowledge, skills and patient care is second to none.
Radiology Nurses
Our nurses have specialist knowledge and skills within clinical imaging that allows them to support patients undergoing interventional procedures.
Clinical Imaging Assistants (CIA’s)
CIA’s are our clinical support team and they are a vital part of our team. They support our team during image procedures and you will likely meet one during a CT, MRI or ultrasound scan. CIA’s also transport inpatients to and from our departments, helping to put patients at ease.
Admin & Clerical Support
Our personal assistants, appointments team and reception staff are essential in ensuring the smooth running of our service schedules.
The PACS Team
Picture Archiving Computer System (PACS) is where all the images and reports generated by the clinical imaging department are digitally stored. The PACS team are responsible for making sure our work is maintained, protected and available to clinical teams across the County (and if requested, beyond).
We are a teaching team
We welcome the opportunity to pass on our knowledge and skills to those learning about Clinical Imaging. We supervise and educate learners from The Peninsula Radiology Academy, The University of Exeter and in Healthcare apprenticeships. We use images and reports as part of this training. If we select an interesting case for teaching outside of the department it will be anonymous.
Clinical Imaging Consultant Radiologists
| Radiologist | Special Interest | Additional Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Miklos Barta | Breast & General | |
| Dr Helen Belcher | Chest, Paediatrics & General | |
| Dr Alison Bradley | Uroradiology & Neuroradiology | |
| Dr Philip Cook | Neuroradiology, Head & Neck and Uroradiology | |
| Dr Andrew Edwards | Interventional Radiology, Cardiac & Uroradiology | Imaging Specialty Director |
| Dr Kim Farmer | Musculoskeletal | |
| Dr Katie Giles | Paediatrics & Breast | Chair of Paediatric Special Interest Group |
| Dr Rosie Gray | Breast & Cardiac | |
| Dr John Hancock | Interventional Radiology & Gastrointestinal Radiology | |
| Dr Nick Hollings | Cardiac, Chest, Head & Neck, Neuroradiology | Trust Serious Incident Lead |
| Dr Nicola Jackson | Breast & General | |
| Dr Daniel Kim | Gastrointestinal Imaging, Medical Research, Artificial Intelligence | Specialty AI Lead |
| Dr Giles Maskell | Gastrointestinal, Chest & General | |
| Dr Soraya Mohammed | Haematology, Oncology, Chest & Gynaecology | |
| Dr Richard Morse | Interventional Radiology & Uroradiology | Imaging Governance Lead |
| Dr Jennifer O’Brien | Breast & General | |
| Dr Ben Rock | Head & Neck & Neuroradiology | Undergraduate Education Lead UEMS |
| Dr Angie Rogers | Interventional Radiology & Cardiac | DRS Lead (Discrepancy Review) |
| Dr Dushyant Shetty | Gastrointestinal including endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) | Radiologist Timetable coordinator |
| Dr Kerstin Stepp-Schuh | Breast. Symptomatic and family history lead | Breast Screening Programme Director |
| Dr Madeline Strugnell | Gastrointestinal & General | Imaging Audit Lead |
| Dr Tom Sulkin | Radionuclide imaging including PETCT Neurology and Head & Neck | Head of School Peninsula Radiology Academy |
| Dr Simon Thorogood | Paediatrics, Ultrasound, Musculoskeletal | Ultrasound Lead & Chair of CISUG (Clinical imaging system users group) |
Nuclear Medicine
In therapy, radioactive substances are administered to treat, disease or provide palliative pain relief. For example, administration of Iodine-131 is often used for the treatment of thyroid disease.
In some centres, the nuclear medicine images can be superimposed on CT or MRI images, making it easier to see the exact area being highlighted on the nuclear medicine image.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or map of functional processes in the body. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is introduced into the body on a metabolically active molecule.
Images of metabolic activity in space are then reconstructed by computer analysis, often in modern scanners, aided by results from a CT X-ray scan performed on the patient at the same time, by the same machine.
PET is both a medical and research tool. It is used heavily in clinical oncology (medical imaging of tumors and the search for metastases), and for clinical diagnosis of certain diffuse brain diseases, such as those that cause dementias. PET is also used to map normal human brain and heart function. PET scanning is non-invasive, but it does involve exposure to ionizing radiation.
Nuclear Medicine Contact
01872 252330
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