Wimborne: Scanner gift 'shows community hospitals' importance'

Patient Roger Nicholson said having the Echo machine close to home was "ideal"

A hospital charity has said its donation of a £95,000 scanner reflects the importance of community hospitals.

The 22-bed Victoria Hospital in Wimborne, Dorset, received the new cardiac ultrasound machine in December.

The hospital's League of Friends paid for the so-called Echo equipment, which offers faster and more accurate diagnoses of heart conditions.

Chairman Anne Salter said the charity was "clear" about the hospital's future.

Anne Salter said her charity was continually investing in the hospital

She said: "We think community hospitals are really important.

"We've supported the refurbishment of the X-ray department and funded state-of-the-art equipment.

"We also support training of staff... because they haven't got the large infrastructure that you have around the acute hospitals."

The hospital is well-supported by its League of Friends, the NHS said

Patient Roger Nicholson had a quadruple heart bypass at the age of 47.

Now aged 85, he said it was "ideal" not to have to travel to Bournemouth, Poole or Southampton for his regular cardiac check-ups.

Victoria Hospital, which opened in 1887, offers services including day surgery, radiology and a minor injuries unit.

It is "very much at the heart of the community" and is well-supported by the charity, according to operator Dorset Healthcare University NHS Trust.

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