Patients exposed to upper safe limit of radiation

The radiology machine has had an "end of life" certificate in place since 2020

An outdated radiology machine at Medway Maritime Hospital is exposing patients to radiation doses within the "upper limit of safe", trust board papers show.

The interventional radiology machine has had an "end of life" certificate in place since 2020, and an "end of service" certificate in place since 2022.

A document presented to a Medway NHS Foundation Trust board meeting said it had had a "growing number of faults and breakdowns" due to its age.

The trust said it was investing nearly £2m to upgrade the machine.

Because of its age there are no new parts available for the machine, papers presenting the business case for replacing it show.

A second-hand tube installed to replace existing faulty equipment is the likely cause of "serious issues" with imaging.

'Cannot reduce dose'

The board meeting also heard that patients were "receiving higher doses of radiation" due to an outdated X-ray machine at Sittingbourne Hospital.

"Until this equipment is replaced we cannot easily reduce the dose to patients," the document said.

The trust said installation work to upgrade the radiology machine would start in the summer, while it was applying for external funding to replace the X-ray machine.

Its chief executive, Jayne Black, said: "Stringent guidelines are in place to keep patients safe which is our priority.

“Like many trusts across the country we are maximising every opportunity to bid for additional funding and utilising our limited capital allocation to replace essential equipment.