Alliance Medical in London Debut with Europe’s top imaging centre

Two new state of the art scanners at the University Hospital of North Tees, which are managed and staffed by Alliance Medical, have been opened by Health Minister John Hutton.
The most advanced diagnostic imaging centre in Europe will open in the heart of London’s medical area close to Harley Street in the New Year.

The Imaging Centre London, to be based in Bulstrode Place just a few hundred yards from Harley Street marks the first base in the capital by Alliance Medical, the leading providers of managed imaging services in Europe and provide MRI and CT scanning to over 130 healthcare providers.

The new Alliance Medical Imaging Centre London will house the very latest technology supplied by Siemens Medical. There will be a PET/CT Biograph scanner, a High Speed 16 slice CT scanner, Cardiac Optimised MR and CR X-Ray.

"This is the first time in Europe all these facilities have been offered to the medical profession under one roof," said Alliance’s Medical Director, Dr Andy Dun.

"This really is bringing a completely fresh approach to diagnostic imaging. This groundbreaking facility will set new standards of imaging quality, reporting and patient care. Excellence is our key theme, through the technology on offer and the highly trained and skilled technicians and clinicians. This is a really exciting development and we are proud to be able to offer it "

Research carried out by Alliance Medical revealed that referrers and patients were looking for a number of key elements – Central access, close to Harley Street; Lead clinicians covering Respiratory Medicine, Cardiology and Oncology; and top customer service, with the emphasis on measurable standards of reporting and patient care.

Three eminent physicians with a wealth of experience have been appointed to oversee various specialities.

David Hansell, Professor of Thoracic Imaging at the Royal Brompton Hospital will be responsible for lung imaging.

Said Professor Hansell, "CT gives structural, and sometimes histospecific, information about the cause of the functional deficit. In those cases in which bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy is contemplated, CT provides a valuable road map which maximises the chances of yielding a successful biopsy."

The lead Cardiovascular MR clinician is Dudley Pennell, Professor of Cardiology and Consultant in CMR at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

"CMR is a new technique for investigating the heart that combines attributes of safety, high resolution, versatility and excellent image quality," said Professor Pennell. "Whilst some aspects of CMR are still in development, others are truly established in the clinical arena. It is the imaging technique of the future which is available now."

PET for oncology will be the responsibility of Dr Gary Cook, a Consultant in Nuclear Medicine at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

"State of the art PET imaging also incorporates CT image fusion from the same combined scanner, allowing simultaneous display of anatomical and functional information to significantly enhance the diagnostic capacity of PET," said Dr Cook.
Dr Dun believes the centre will have broad appeal to referrers in the London area and beyond.

"This is what they have told us they want. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of patients, referrers and clinicians. We greatly look forward to welcoming our first patients in just a few weeks," said Dr Dun.