Chesterfield Royal installs State-of-the-Art £1.5m MRI Scanner
A state-of-the-art £1.5m brand new MRI scanner has been installed at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – expecting to help diagnose more than 16,000 patients a year.
An MRI scanner– or Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner – uses magnetic field and radiofrequency pulses to produce three dimensional detailed images of most areas of the body without the use of radiation. It is used to diagnose and monitor treatments in both adults and children.
The Trust has two MRIs on site with this new Siemens Magnetom Sola 1.5 T replacing an 11-year-old machine, which was removed in September.
The installation was carried out by a 50 tonne crane and took seven hours with the cryogenics and superconductor – needed to operate the machinery – being connected to the power supply and configured. The new machine will become operational from 23 December – just in time for Christmas.
The new MRI will have a life span of between 10-15 years and weighs just over 4 tonnes – the equivalent of a hippopotamus or about three cars. It will operate 12.5 hours a day, seven days a week – with scans lasting between 10-60 minutes. All scans are prioritised with urgent cases often receiving the results on the same day.
Kevin Sargen, Medical Director at the Trust commented: “This is great news for the people of Chesterfield and shows that as a Trust we are investing in modern care and facilities – this being alongside the £27m Urgent and Emergency Care Development and the £2m Paediatric Assessment Unit.”
An MRI is typically used to diagnose a variety of pathologies including stroke, tumours, vascular anomalies and many musculo-skeletal problems.
Rebecca Ward, MRICT lead at the Trust, said: “We’re very excited to be bringing in such an advanced piece of equipment into the hospital. The new technology will offer far greater quality and speed over our previous scanner. We know that it will improve our performance and mean we diagnose more people as well as providing a better experience for patients.”
Kevin Sargen, added: “I’d take this opportunity to flag that people need to access the right care by contacting their GP, 111 or pharmacies before coming to our Emergency Department – allowing us to ensure we can prioritise more serious conditions and those requiring access to diagnostics such as this new MRI.”
Chesterfield Royal Hospital supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
