Two Norfolk hospitals will receive new state-of-the art cancer screening machines after they were granted a slice of £200m of government funding.

Eastern Daily Press: Extra funding for mental health liaison services at the James Paget University Hospital (pictured) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital were among mental health funding announcements made by the Norfolk and Waveney STP. Photo: James Paget University HospitalExtra funding for mental health liaison services at the James Paget University Hospital (pictured) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital were among mental health funding announcements made by the Norfolk and Waveney STP. Photo: James Paget University Hospital (Image: James Paget University Hospital)

The equipment James Paget University Hospital and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is set to receive will help more people survive a cancer diagnosis due to improved screening and early detection.

In total, 78 hospital trusts in England will receive funding across the next two years which will see CT, MRI scanners and breast screening equipment refurbished or upgraded.

Health and social secretary, Matt Hancock, said: "This new state-of-the-art equipment for 78 trusts across England will ensure doctors and clinicians can help even more people survive a cancer diagnosis and stop the disease as early as possible.

"It's mission critical that the technology our NHS uses to prevent and diagnose cancer is brought into the 21st century."

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, changing and upgrading machines will boost efficiency by making them easier to use and quicker to scan and create images, while reducing the need to re-scan.

The roll out of new equipment is part of the government's commitment to ensure 55,000 more people survive cancer each year.

Sam Higginson, NNUH chief executive, said: "This is fantastic news for the trust and our patients to be receiving this investment from the Department of Health and Social Care so that we can upgrade and bring in new state-of-the-art cancer screening equipment to NNUH.

"With cancer referrals going up 10pc on average every year, we are receiving more than 2,000 referrals a month and diagnosing 400 new cancers a month. This money will go towards four new MRI and one CT scanning machines."

"This new investment will make a big difference to help improve cancer diagnosis and will in turn help improve outcomes and survival rates for our patients."

This is in addition to the £70m announced by the government in August for new Diagnostic Assessment Centres at NNUH, James Paget University Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital."