Crane lifts new MRI scanner into Telford's Princess Royal Hospital

The old scanner was hoisted away back in July, and now the hospital is just a few installation steps away from it being operational.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) replaced its two existing MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners, one of which is at PRH with the other at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH), as part of a £1.7million investment during 2017/18.

A new MRI scanner is also due to be installed at RSH by the end of March 2018 thanks to generous funding by the League of Friends of the RSH, increasing the number of MRI scanners at the trust to three, which will allow more patients to be seen.

Ahead of the move two mobile MRI scanners were installed – one at RSH and one at PRH. The RSH one has been in place for a number of weeks to help reduce waiting times from referral to having an MRI scan from six weeks to one week. The national target is six weeks.

RSH’s replacement scanner will be installed later in the year and be in use by Christmas 2017. The new RSH scanner, which will mean the Trust will have three MRI scanners, will be in use in spring 2018.