THE Prime Minister has today (Monday) visited Hexham as £284m investment is announced for the NHS.

Boris Johnson was at Hexham General Hospital as technology to modernise diagnostics and help tackle patient waiting lists is to be rolled out over the next year.

The funding will allow hospital labs to share patient results, tests, and scans more quickly between different hospitals and doctors.

The new technology will also allow imaging specialists - the experts analysing a scan or x-ray and providing a diagnosis - to review high-res images remotely without needing to be in an imaging lab, 24 hours a day. It will also provide a new tool to help GPs and other clinicians choose the most suitable scan for their patient based on the patient’s symptoms and medical history.

The announcement follows the £2.3billion investment announced at the latest Spending Review over the next three years to transform diagnostic services.

The PM saw the hospital's new CT scanner and met staff receiving their booster jab as the 10m milestone was marked yesterday (Sunday).

Boris Johnson was also interviewed by Courant reporter Georgia Langdon.