AN APPEAL for a new state-of-the-art scanner for Maidstone Hospital has been launched.

The appeal to upgrade the CT scanner at the hospital in Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, was launched by the Gallagher Group Limited this week and is aimed at business.

The new scanner will dramatically speed up diagnosis for patients and give doctors better images than ever before.

Group chairman Pat Gallagher has already pledged £50,000 towards the £200,000 target which he hopes to reach by April and is calling on businesses in the area to make donations.

The appeal, which will be run through Peggy Wood's Kent Cancer and Leukaemia Equipment Fund, will provide a scanner which will give the hospital access to cutting edge technology that is among the most advanced in the country.

The scanner will cut down the number of invasive diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopies, patients must have and will speed the process up from an overnight or six-hour stay in hospital to just 20 minutes for the scan.

The scanner, which will be based next to A & E, will have a number of uses, including diagnosis for cancer patients and identifying major trauma in the brain, liver, spleen, kidneys and bones.

Peggy Wood, founder of the Kent Cancer and Leukaemia Equipment Fund, has pledged £15,000 towards the appeal from her charity.

To donate, contact the Gallagher Group on 01622 716543. There will also be details on the group's website in the coming weeks, at www.gallagher-group.co.uk