The Jeannette Fish CT Scanning Suite officially opened

Friday 24 June 2022 marked the official opening of the Jeannette Fish CT Suite at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

DCDT and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals staff at the opening of the CT Suite
Pictured from L to R, top: Deborah Swift (Matron), Dr Jas Sawhney (Consultant), Richard Parker OBE (Chief Executive), Sara Elliott (Head of Radiology) and Dr Azam (Specialty Registrar at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals). Bottom: Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Bailey, Ruth Bacon, Yvonne Woodcock, Victoria Fletcher, Carol Spiller, Jenny Liddle, Georgina Mullis, Mark Toseland and Peter Mellor (DCDT).

Representatives from DCDT joined the Chief Executive of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, Richard Parker OBE and Dame Rosie Winterton MP for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Named after our dear friend and DCDT’s founder, the late Jeannette Fish MBE, the CT Scanning Suite proudly takes her name, and we can think of no better way to honour her tireless work and dedication to DCDT and the people of Doncaster.

Work on the project started back in 2018 and completed in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the official opening ceremony. Despite the delay, the new CT Suite has been operating since March 2020, leading to a 50% increase in scanning capacity at the hospital – a timely improvement as they work hard to catch up on the backlog of patients needing CT scans.

Dame Rosie Winterton MP cutting the ribbon

Dame Rosie Winterton MP, said:

As a patron of Doncaster Cancer Detection Trust, it was an honour to attend the opening of this wonderful facility and honour the life of Jeannette Fish, who did so much for this city. The benefit the new CT Suite and scanner will have for patients is tremendous and will go a long way in diagnosing cancer.

The Venerable Bob Fitzharris added:

Doncaster is a poorer place since the death of Jeanette Fish MBE but a richer place thanks to Jeanette’s half a century of devoted service in leading the work of Doncaster Cancer Detection Trust. It’s a fitting tribute to such a dedicated lady whose name will live on in the Jeanette Fish CT Scanning Suite.

Yvonne Woodcock BEM at the official opening

Yvonne Woodcock BEM, chair of DCDT, stressed the importance of all the supporters and volunteers who helped raise the money:

We would like to thank the people and businesses of Doncaster for their continued support over the last 50 years. Without this, we would not be here today, opening the Jeannette Fish CT Suite.

We would also like to honour our founder Jeannette for her dedication and commitment to DCDT. Doncaster is a better place because of her!

CT scanning suite official opening at Doncaster Royal Infirmary

Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, was delighted at long last to be able to mark the opening of the new suite officially:

I was delighted to be joined by our friends at Doncaster Cancer Detection Trust, as well as Dame Rosie Winterton MP, to finally, and at long last, open the Jeannette Fish CT Suite. As a Trust, we owe a debt of gratitude to our patrons at DCDT. Their support throughout the past 40 years has been unwavering and together they have helped to improve, and in many cases prolong, the life of so many local people.

Sadly, we could not be joined today by Jeannette Fish, an extraordinary lady who worked tirelessly to improve cancer care throughout her extraordinary life. As the plaque reads upon entry to the suite, Jeannette devoted her life to the people of Doncaster, and the town (now a city) is a better place because of her life. We will be eternally grateful, and we can think of no better tribute than to honour Jeannette in this way and ensure that people remember her efforts for generations to come.