Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust boosts imaging productivity and resilience following major CT upgrade

Canon Medical Systems UK, Crawley,29^th January, 2026  – Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has implemented a major upgrade to its diagnostic imaging services – improving productivity, reducing downtime and building future resilience across its sites in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover. The Trust partnered with Canon Medical Systems UK to install a new fleet of CT scanners and create fully refurbished scanning environments that are already supporting faster, safer, and more flexible patient care.

The project marks the first time the Trust has standardised its CT services across these sites, replacing a mix of ageing scanners with a unified Canon Medical fleet including two Aquilion ONE / PRISM Edition scanners for cardiac imaging and three Aquilion Prime SP scanners that support a wide range of routine and emergency imaging needs across the Trust. At Basingstoke hospital, one Aquilion Prime SP has been installed in a separate building linked to the main hospital by a skybridge – operating as a cold site, providing additional capacity for outpatient and ambulatory scanning. Its independent setup adds long-term resilience and flexibility to the Trust’s imaging services, supporting future service planning and demand management.

A further quilion Prime SP has been installed in Basingstoke Hospital to support patients from the Emergency Department alongside an Aquilion ONE / PRISM Edition. This setup enables staff to move seamlessly between systems, especially during overnight and high-demand periods. It also adds resilience if the other system is not available, allowing urgent care to continue without diverting patients to other hospitals in the region.

To support the new unified approach, the Trust has also implemented Canon Medical’s Vitrea Enterprise Imaging solution. This provides a centralised imaging infrastructure across sites and modalities – streamlining workflows and standardising protocols. By improving interoperability and supporting remote collaboration, the platform helps radiographers and clinical teams work more efficiently across the Trust.

“Before, we had a mix of scanners from different manufacturers. That meant staff could only work on those they were trained on,” said Mark Rawlinson, Associate Director of Commercial Services at HHFT. “Now, our teams can scan anywhere. It’s transformed how we deploy the workforce, especially during busy or out-of-hours periods.”

The Trust reports reduced downtime, more consistent patient flow, and faster scanning throughput since the installation. Radiographers are now able to pre-process one scan while preparing the next, using dual consoles available on each system.

The scanners also include lateral table movement to improve patient positioning accuracy. This feature is intended to reduce scan times, minimise radiation dose, and improve ergonomics for radiographers, particularly those working solo night shifts.

“We’ve gone from working around our scanners to having scanners that work around us,” said Rawlinson. “It’s safer, faster, and more sustainable for everyone.”

Each scanner is supported by the Applications for Life programme, which provides ongoing access to Applications Specialists and updates for protocol optimisation.

“Canon Medical didn’t just supply equipment; it managed the full refurbishment and installation process,” Rawlinson added. “We weren’t left juggling contractors or fitting out rooms ourselves. The spaces were ready for use and, with the ongoing applications support and training, we know we are set up for success – both now and in the future,” he concluded.