Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth to Get £200m Cancer Screening Upgrade
Big news for Portsmouth! Queen Alexandra Hospital is set to receive a slice of a £200 million government fund to upgrade its ageing cancer screening kit. The hospital’s old CT scanners and mammography machines—some more than a decade old—are finally getting replaced. This means faster, earlier diagnoses for patients and better chances of beating cancer.
Outdated Equipment Gets the Boot
Portsmouth NHS Trust was singled out because its two CT scanners and three mammography machines have been limping along for over 10 years. It’s part of a nationwide upgrade, with 78 NHS Trusts across England sharing the cash based on local need and infrastructure.
MP and Officials Back the Boost
Local MP Caroline Dinenage said: “We all know someone affected by cancer. With one in two of us expected to face it in our lifetime, early diagnosis is crucial to survival.” She added how great it was that Portsmouth would get speedy access to vital screening equipment, praising Secretary of State Matt Hancock for prioritising the NHS and Portsmouth’s needs.
Hancock stressed: “This state-of-the-art kit will help doctors catch cancer early and save more lives. It’s vital our NHS tech is up to date, which is why we’ve backed this £200 million funding as part of our Long Term Plan, alongside an extra £33.9 billion a year.”
Survival Rates on the Rise
Cancer survival in the UK has been climbing since 2010, with millions benefitting from early detection and treatment advances. Back in 2018, Theresa May promised to catch three-quarters of cancers early through new investment and screening.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently chimed in, pledging £200 million for cancer screening kit upgrades nationwide—including Portsmouth—and a mammoth £33.9 billion boost for the NHS by 2023/24 to improve cancer care.
National Cancer Director Cally Palmer said: “Thanks to the NHS’s world-class treatments and early diagnosis, survival is at a record high. This investment in cutting-edge scanning tech will help us catch tens of thousands more cancers early and save 55,000 more lives annually.”
