Brand new £8.84m MRI suite fitted at Grimsby hospital

Work has begun to build a new £8.84 million MRI suite at Grimsby Hospital, which will improve patient experience, reduce waiting times and allow for cancer patients to be diagnosed faster.

The suite will house a new MRI department, including two brand new Philips 1.5T Ingenia Omega HP MRI scanners. It will replace the current scanner at the hospital, which is around 15 years old.

Work began on the suite on Monday, February 10, which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care through emergency capital funding.

The suite is expected to open in spring 2021 after extensive building work, including the demolition of a former office block. It will have separate areas for outpatients attending for an appointment and inpatients staying in hospital overnight.

All types of scans will be possible at both Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals allowing more services to be delivered closer to home and reducing the needs for patients to travel. Over the next year, there will also be a recruitment drive for more radiology staff to help run the additional scanner.

The equipment will also allow patients to personalise their MRI experience and choose from a number of different videos to be projected above them during the scan, including beach, rainforest or desert.

From left to right: Jug Johal, Director of Estates and Facilities; Peter Reading, Chief Executive; pictured with members of the MRI and planning teams, along with representatives from Hobson and Porter. Photo: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

The new MRI suite has been designed by P+HS Architects and will be constructed by local building firm Hobson & Porter Ltd.

Peter Reading, chief executive at the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re delighted to start work on this new MRI suite.

“It’s a great investment into the future of Grimsby Hospital and for our patients. The expectation is it will improve and speed up the experience for our patients, as well as reducing waiting times, in turn having a positive effect on any treatment they may need.”

The Health Tree Foundation (HTF), which is the official charity of the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, has launched a new fundraising appeal to help create an ‘ambient’ experience for patients needing an MRI scan.

The aim of the £55,000 IMAGE (Improving MRI at Grimsby for Everyone) Appeal is to buy specialist visual equipment to help nervous, anxious patients and children during their scans.