Inside the centre
Our equipment
Laboratory, imaging, cardiac, neurophysiology, respiratory and dental equipment, all in one building and all on one visit. Here is what each machine does and what having it done actually involves.
There are no photographs on this page yet. We would rather describe our equipment accurately than show you a stock picture of somebody else’s scanner, so until our own photographs are taken each machine is drawn as an icon. We also publish modality rather than make and model — the machines are described by what they do, and we will add the specifications once each is confirmed in writing.
Laboratory
Seven departments in house, from a routine blood count to molecular PCR — most of it reported the same day.
Haematology analyser
Counts and sizes every cell type in a blood sample.
The blood count is the most-ordered test in medicine and this is the instrument behind it. It counts red cells, white cells and platelets, measures their size and haemoglobin content, and flags anything abnormal for a technologist to review on a stained film by eye.
- Blood count
- ESR
- Blood films
Clinical chemistry analyser
Sugar, cholesterol, liver, kidney and electrolyte chemistry.
The chemistry bench runs the panels most people arrive for: glucose and HbA1c, the lipid profile, liver and renal function, uric acid and electrolytes. Every analyser is calibrated and quality-controlled before patient samples are run each day, and an out-of-range control stops the run rather than being noted and worked around.
- Liver & renal profiles
- Lipid profile
- HbA1c
- Electrolytes
Immunoassay analyser
Hormones, tumour markers, vitamins and infection serology.
Immunoassay measures substances present in vanishingly small amounts by using antibodies that bind only to the target. Thyroid hormones, vitamin D and B12, fertility hormones, hepatitis markers and tumour markers all run here.
- Thyroid profile
- Vitamin D & B12
- Hepatitis markers
- Hormone assays
Molecular & PCR platform
Detects an organism's genetic material rather than the body's response to it.
PCR amplifies a fragment of DNA or RNA until there is enough of it to detect, which makes it far more sensitive than antibody testing and able to give an answer earlier in an illness. The molecular bench is one of the seven laboratory departments on site.
- Viral PCR
- Molecular diagnostics
Microbiology & culture
Grows the organism, then finds the antibiotic that kills it.
Culture is slow because it waits for something to grow, and there is no shortcut. Blood, urine and swab samples are incubated, any organism that appears is identified, and it is then tested against a panel of antibiotics so the report tells your doctor what will actually work.
- Blood culture
- Urine culture & sensitivity
- Swab culture
What to expect. Cultures are reported in stages — a preliminary result first, then the sensitivities.
Histopathology & cytology
Tissue and cell samples, prepared and read under a microscope.
Tissue from a biopsy is processed, sectioned thinly enough for light to pass through, stained, and read by a pathologist. This is where a Pap smear is examined and where a biopsy is given its diagnosis.
- Biopsy reporting
- Pap smear
- Cytology
Radiology & imaging
MRI, CT, digital X-ray and ultrasound on site, read and reported by qualified radiologists.
MRI scanner
Detailed cross-sections of the brain, spine and joints, using magnetism rather than radiation.
MRI builds its images from a strong magnetic field and radio waves, so there is no ionising radiation at all. It is the study of choice for soft tissue — brain, spinal cord, ligaments and cartilage — where an X-ray or CT shows very little.
- MRI brain
- MRI spine
- MRI joints
- Cardiac MRI
What to expect. Twenty to forty-five minutes lying still inside the bore. The machine is loud and we provide ear protection. Tell us about any implant, pacemaker or metal fragment before you book.
CT scanner
Fast, high-detail imaging of the chest, abdomen, head and bones.
A CT scan takes a rapid series of X-ray images and reconstructs them into slices. It is the fastest way to look inside someone who is acutely unwell, and the standard study for the chest, the abdomen and complex fractures. The high-resolution chest protocols for the respiratory service run on this machine.
- CT scan
- HRCT chest
- Contrast studies
What to expect. Usually under ten minutes. Some studies need fasting or a contrast injection.
Digital X-ray
Chest, abdomen and skeletal films, read the same day.
Digital radiography captures the image electronically rather than on film, which means a lower dose, no chemical processing, and an image the radiologist can adjust rather than repeat. This is the machine behind the chest film on the pre-employment and visa panels.
- Chest X-ray
- Skeletal X-ray
- Fluoroscopy
What to expect. A few minutes, and no preparation for most films.
Ultrasound & colour Doppler
Real-time imaging of the abdomen, pelvis and blood vessels, with no radiation.
Ultrasound uses sound waves, so it is safe in pregnancy and can be repeated as often as needed. Colour Doppler adds blood flow to the picture, which is how narrowed arteries, clots and the vessels supplying an organ are assessed.
- Ultrasound abdomen
- Pelvic & obstetric ultrasound
- Colour Doppler
What to expect. Fifteen to thirty minutes. Abdominal scans usually need six hours of fasting; pelvic scans need a full bladder.
Cardiac
From a five-minute ECG to a 24-hour Holter recording that catches what a single tracing misses.
ECG
Records the heart's electrical activity in about five minutes.
Electrodes on the chest, arms and legs pick up the signal that drives each heartbeat. It is the first test for chest pain, palpitations and an irregular pulse, and a standard part of pre-operative and executive check-ups.
- ECG
What to expect. Painless, five minutes, no preparation. Nothing passes into you — the electrodes only listen.
Echocardiography
An ultrasound of the heart: chambers, valves and pumping function.
Echo shows the heart moving in real time — how well each chamber contracts, whether the valves open and close properly, and how much blood is ejected with each beat. Where an ECG shows the electrical signal, echo shows the mechanics.
- Echo
- Colour Doppler of the heart
Exercise tolerance testing
An ECG recorded while the heart is under load, on a treadmill.
Some coronary narrowing only shows itself when the heart is working hard. The treadmill test records the ECG and blood pressure continuously as the workload increases, under supervision, and stops the moment anything changes.
- Stress test
- Treadmill ECG
What to expect. Wear shoes you can walk briskly in. Ask your doctor whether to hold any heart medication that morning.
Holter & ambulatory BP monitoring
Twenty-four hours of recording, worn while you go about your day.
A single ECG tracing lasts ten seconds and misses anything intermittent. A Holter monitor records continuously for a day and a night; ambulatory blood pressure monitoring does the same for blood pressure, which is the only reliable way to separate genuine hypertension from a reading taken in a clinic.
- 24-hour Holter
- 24-hour ambulatory BP
What to expect. You wear it home and return it the next day. Keep a short note of anything you feel and when.
Neurophysiology
EEG for seizures and blackouts, nerve conduction studies and EMG for numbness, weakness and tingling.
EEG
Records the brain's electrical rhythms, for seizures and blackouts.
Electrodes placed on the scalp record the brain's background electrical activity. It is the study for seizures, unexplained blackouts and episodes of altered awareness, and nothing passes into the body — the electrodes only listen.
- EEG
What to expect. Thirty to sixty minutes, lying quietly. Come with clean, dry hair and no oil, gel or spray.
Nerve conduction & EMG
Measures how well nerves carry a signal, and how muscle responds.
Nerve conduction studies time a small electrical pulse travelling along a nerve, which localises where a nerve is compressed or damaged — carpal tunnel and diabetic neuropathy are the common ones. EMG samples the electrical activity of a muscle itself.
- NCS
- EMG
What to expect. The pulses feel like a brief tap or twitch. Uncomfortable rather than painful, and it passes at once.
Respiratory
Lung function testing and high-resolution CT, for a cough that will not settle or unexplained breathlessness.
Lung function testing
Measures how much air you can move, and how fast.
Spirometry is what separates asthma from COPD from a cough that is neither, by measuring the volume you can breathe out and the speed at which you do it. High-resolution chest CT, run on the CT scanner, covers the structural side of the same question.
- Spirometry
What to expect. You blow hard into a mouthpiece several times. Tiring rather than uncomfortable, and about twenty minutes in all.
Women's health
Mammography, pelvic ultrasound, Pap smear and tube testing — the whole work-up in one visit rather than four.
Mammography
Low-dose breast imaging, for screening and for a lump being investigated.
A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast that can show a change years before it can be felt. It is used both for routine screening and to work up a lump, and is often paired with an ultrasound on the same visit.
- Mammogram
What to expect. Ten to fifteen minutes. The compression is briefly uncomfortable; it is what keeps the dose low and the image sharp.
Bone health
DEXA scanning measures bone density directly, which is the only way osteoporosis is caught before a fracture.
DEXA bone densitometer
Measures bone density directly — the only way osteoporosis is found before a fracture.
DEXA passes two low-energy X-ray beams through the hip and spine and calculates bone mineral density from the difference. Osteoporosis has no symptoms until something breaks, so a measured density is the only way to catch it in time to act.
- DEXA scan
What to expect. Ten to twenty minutes lying on a table, fully clothed. The dose is a fraction of a chest X-ray.
Dental imaging
Digital OPG for the whole jaw, and cone beam CT where an implant has to be planned around the nerve.
Digital OPG & cone beam CT
The whole jaw in one image, and a 3D view where an implant is being planned.
An OPG is a single panoramic image of both jaws, all the teeth and the joints — what a dentist needs before extractions, orthodontics or a full assessment. Cone beam CT adds the third dimension, which is what an implant has to be planned in so it clears the nerve.
- Digital OPG
- Cone beam CT
What to expect. Under a minute for an OPG. You stand still and the arm rotates around your head.
What we do not claim
We list what each machine does, not what badge is on the front of it. Makes, models and installation dates will be published here once each one is confirmed in writing — an unverified specification is not a detail, it is a claim about hardware.
Where a specialised test has to go to a reference laboratory rather than run on our own equipment, we tell you before you book, not after the report comes back.
Come and see it
The centre is open around the clock. Call 0312 38 99 99 if you want to check a machine is staffed before you travel.