CLAPPED out X-ray equipment at Ilkley's Coronation Hospital is likely to be replaced with new technology - rented from a private company.

This week Robert Allen, the chief executive of the Airedale NHS Trust, spelled out the case for a private company partnership in replacing the 30-year-old X-ray equipment for the whole of the trust at a meeting of the trust board.

In his report, Mr Allen says: "The radiology service is currently running with an unacceptable level of risk of complete failure due to the age and condition of the majority of main radiology equipment."

In his report Mr Allen said that the preferred option for hospital management was to continue to provide X-ray services at local centres, including Ilkley, as well as at the main hospital site.

According to his report, Mr Allen says that providing new equipment, and the servicing and maintenance of existing equipment, would best be met under the provisions of a private finance initiative with the company Siemens.

The deal, costing £71,156-a-month, would also include a fixed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit.

At present, Airedale General Hospital has only a mobile one-day-a-week MRI unit resulting in a 40-week plus waiting list for patients.

Mr Allen said: "The provision of a fixed MRI unit on site will allow both urgent inpatient and outpatient cancer patients to be scanned properly.

"The presence of a fixed MRI unit on site is becoming standard practice for most acute hospitals with a similar catchment area."

Phase one of the upgrade to the radiology services was completed by the beginning of this year with new building work. Phase two, which will include the take-over of x-ray equipment at Ilkley, should be completed by September 2002.

The plan involves transferring existing radiology equipment within the trust to Siemens next month. The company will then replace all the equipment which needs replacing and provide new equipment by September 2002. During the 15-year-contract, all the equipment will be replaced as often as the operators' guidelines suggest.

Speaking to the Gazette this week, Mr Allen said a previous transfer of cardiac equipment under the private finance initiative had worked very well, and he believed it would be the same with radiology equipment.

"If we bought the equipment it would be our problem, but if we lease it, it is the leasing company's problem. It is in their interests to have well-maintained quality equipment," said Mr Allen.

The equipment proposed by Siemens has already been evaluated and found to be acceptable by staff within the radiology department at the trust. The hospital will retain the right to get out of the contract if the company fails to maintain a specified level of performance.