IT serves 400,000 people, features a hospital large enough to fit in 24 Wembley football pitches, offers more than 550,000 patient meals a year and employs 3,000 people - The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust has grown thanks to state-of-the-art Russells Hall Hospital.

Russells Hall, the trust's headquarters and jewel in its crown, opened in May 2005 and prides itself on being at the cutting edge of new technology.

Patients can receive the results of an X-ray in minutes as the trust uses digital technology which beams X-ray images to any hospital computer and even to some GP practices.

Russells Hall also leads the way with maternity care - a purpose-built unit opened up in 2005 featuring single en-suite delivery rooms which allow new mums to stay in the same room throughout their stay in hospital.

Innovative services also cater for the needs of new mums with learning difficulties.

Two outpatient sites, Corbett and Guest, aid Russells Hall's work by offering day care and rehabilitation services and £180m will be pumped into the three hospitals to further improve the service.

Russells Hall's accident and emergency department alone dealt with more than 92,000 admissions last year.

A dedicated team of 1,025 nurses, 125 consultants, 146 midwives and 245 other healthcare professionals are just some of the 3,000 people the trust employs.

Hospital staff believe the new technology has aided the care they can offer patients.

Matron Julie Pain said: "The Renal unit provides state-of-the-art dialysis facilities in a purpose built department at Russells Hall Hospital.

"Clinicians can now choose from a range of dialysis therapies depending on individual patient needs.

"The provision of new dialysis machines has also meant that the unit has been able to expand the types of dialysis services it provides."

Paul Stonelake, consultant surgeon and head of services for surgery and gastroenterology, believes moving to one site has helped patients.

He said: "The recent modernisation of hospital facilities in Dudley has resulted in major improvements, especially for inpatients who were formerly spread over three sites.

"For instance, some patients having breast cancer surgery previously required an initial procedure carried out in the X-ray department at Russells Hall Hospital and were then transported for surgery later that day at Wordsley Hospital, often then requiring an overnight stay."