Patients at Kent’s newest hospital are benefiting from some of the most up-to-date medical equipment in the country.

The Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery at Newnham Court in Maidstone accepted its first patients last month.

The hospital cost £80 million to build, but a further £15 million was spent on equipment.

Chief executive officer Jayne Cassidy said: “We have the very latest, best equipment available.”

She cited as an example the catheterisation lab. It features the GE Healthcare Discovery IGS 730 angiography system, which provides high-quality imaging on a mobile platform that can be pushed aside and the room converted instantly into a clean-air operating theatre if necessary.

Mrs Cassidy said: “There is always a danger with certain procedures that surgery may become necessary. This enables that surgery to be carried out immediately without having to transfer the patient to an operating theatre.”

KIMS is only the second hospital in the UK to be fitted with the system.

Top notch bits of kit include a wide-bore MRI that increases patient comfort; a Vscan, which is a pocket-sized ultrasound device that enables scans to be done at the point of care; and the very latest ventilators, patient monitoring systems and anaesthesia apparatus

Much of the specialist equipment at KIMS has been provided by GE Healthcare.

The multi-national’s UK and Ireland general manager Karl Blight said: “The KIMS imaging, cardiology, ultrasound and critical care theatres and wards are equipped to give patients world class standards of care and comfort.

“For example, the Discovery CT750HD GSI is the world’s first high definition, low radiation scanner."

Mr Blight said: “The KIMS imaging department is equipped with the Discovery 3.0T, a new, leading-edge MRI system.

“It gives an extraordinary image quality, providing clinicians with new levels of diagnostic performance.”

“Patients can also benefit from a more comfortable scan. For example, the table surface has been completely redesigned to help alleviate pressure points for a more relaxing examination.”