October 8, 2020 1.17 pm This story is over 51 months old

New £1.6m MRI scanner at Grantham hospital

Faster and better scans to improve cancer treatment

People will be able to get more detailed and faster scans after a giant magnet was wheeled into place as part of a £1.6 million investment in a new MRI scanner at Grantham and District Hospital.

The Philips Ambition 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner will also help to improve cancer treatment as patients can be scanned earlier, leading to a quicker diagnosis and being able to start treatment sooner.

It is hoped that patients will be able to use the scanner as early as November 2020.

The new MRI scanner will be in the COVID-free green area of Grantham hospital.

It will be located within the green site of the hospital, so those requiring a scan will need to be swabbed for COVID-19 and self-isolate prior to their appointment.

It is also wider than the previous 15-year-old scanner and is designed to help reduce claustrophobia and has a patient experience package to help alleviate anxiety.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust received almost £1 million of funding from NHSE/I. Additional upgrades and building costs have been funded by the trust.

The new scanner is wider and is designed to help reduce claustrophobia.

Chris Bilton, ULHT’s MRI Service Lead, said: “Seeing the magnet being wheeled into place was a fantastic and welcomed sight.

“A lot of the building work has already taken place, which means we should be able to start using it as early as next month.”

Chief Operating Officer Simon Evans said: “This scanner is going to provide us with much more detailed scans and a better experience for our patients from across the county.”