TWO new replacement X-ray rooms have opened at Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

It is estimated that the new rooms, in the medical imaging department at the Romsey Road site, will see about 14,000 emergency and 18,000 in-patients a year, and will run 24 hours a day.

The rooms have been installed with new equipment and have also been re-designed to allow for easier use for both staff and patients.

That's not all because the hospital is also planning on changing its X-ray images from traditional films to digital technology.

Staff say the move should speed things up by allowing images to be sent to any department in the hospital at the click of a button.

Consultant radiologist Dr Oliver Wethered said: "This is an exciting stepping stone towards moving away from film.

"The equipment will greatly benefit patients and staff and will be in use all day, every day."