Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant made his way from Glastonbury’s pyramid stage to a slightly smaller gig as he opened a new high-tech camera at Royal Brompton Hospital.

The musician, who had a heart scan at the hospital earlier this year as part of a routine check-up, opened the new Spectrum Dynamic DSPECT Gamma Camera at Royal Brompton on Monday evening (July 21).

Unveiled in the Chelsea hospital’s nuclear medicine department, the new camera is just one of three in the UK and improves the quality of images of a patient’s heart, compared to a conventional gamma camera.

The singer from one of the most successful bands in the world, said: “I have been keeping an eye on my health and I wanted a thorough check on my heart. Dr Duncan Dymond of St Bartholomew’s Hospital referred me to Professor Richard Underwood at Royal Brompton for a nuclear medicine scan and I was reassured by them both that all was well.

"I am delighted to learn of the new equipment that will help patients in the future.”

The higher resolution of the new camera means problems can be detected at an earlier stage and the higher sensitivity means patients can be imaged in a fraction of the time, usually less than five minutes compared with fifteen, and less radiation is omitted.

Professor of cardiac imaging, Richard Underwood, said: “This was a special day for us and for all of the staff who have worked so hard to install and use the camera.

"We are pleased to be in the vanguard of using this next-generation camera to help our patients. We are are particularly excited at the prospect of making measurements of blood flow to the heart muscle. We know this will allow us to spot problems early and to recommend the very best treatment for our patients.”