Hundreds more patients will be able to get vital scans every month thanks to a new MRI scanner installed at East Surrey Hospital.
In order to help patients get their diagnostic appointments quicker, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) has installed a ‘relocatable’ MRI unit at the Redhill hospital, in partnership with InHealth.
The new scanner is part of the Trust’s efforts to get patients their planned treatments as quickly as possible.
Angela Stevenson, chief executive of SASH, said: “This unit means many more patients will get quicker access to MRI scans here at East Surrey Hospital. Timely access to diagnostic tests and scans is crucial in helping people get the treatment they need, so I’m delighted we’re making this easier for local people.”
SASH already has two state-of-the-art MRI scanners. Building work is scheduled to start later in the year to house a third scanner permanently at the hospital. However, to help people waiting for scans get seen sooner, the Trust worked with InHealth to install the new relocatable unit which can be used while the permanent building work is completed.
Dr Tony Newman-Sanders, consultant radiologist and chief of cancer and diagnostics at SASH, said: “This is great news for patients - adding this facility to our existing MRI unit boosts our capacity and will help us get people high quality images more quickly.”