Bank allows scanner use for NHS patients

Published on Wednesday 25 February 2009 22:15

A SCANNER donated by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to an Edinburgh medical research facility will now be made available to all NHS patients, after previously having 25 per cent of its use set aside exclusively for the bank's workforce.

Stephen Hester, chief executive of RBS, has agreed to lift conditions under which the 4 million heart and brain scanner was to have been used at the University of Edinburgh's Queen's Medical Research Institute, it emerged yesterday.

Previously, it had been arranged that RBS staff would get special access to the machine for a quarter of its operating time as part of the company's health screening programme. When it was announced last summer, the plan was criticised as being 'philanthropy with strings attached' and for undermining open access for all.

However, following a written request from independent MSP Margo MacDonald last week, Mr Hester has now decided to allow all NHS patients – up to 4,000 a year – to benefit from quicker diagnosis.

In a letter to Mrs MacDonald, Mr Hester said: "In the case of the scanner... this was a well-intentioned endeavour by a company that has sought to be, and is, as good a corporate citizen as possible. I have asked our community investment team to write to the Scottish Government and NHS Lothians to follow your advice with immediate effect."

Ms MacDonald welcomed the unconditional handing over of the Toshiba scanner for use by "people who needed it, when they needed it".

An RBS spokeswoman said the decision has not removed any opportunity from bank employees, because use of the scanner had never formally been in their health benefits.

The scanner, which is expected to come into use around July this year, is to be shared by NHS Lothian and Edinburgh University. It took ten years to develop and is used to diagnose heart problems using CT (computerised axial tomography) scanning technology.

Professor James Barbour, chief executive of NHS Lothian, said: "We are delighted that all of the capacity of this new scanner will now be available to patients right across Scotland."