Spire invests £1.5m in new MRI scanner for Spire Fylde Coast

Spire Fylde Coast Hospital has unveiled a new, state-of-art MRI scanner, which will speed up diagnoses for patients with cancer and other diseases.

The scanner represents a £1.5m investment by Spire Healthcare and will enable up to 21 patients a day to be scanned to detect cancer, cardiac disease and urgent neurological, gynaecological and orthopaedic conditions. The scanner will help provide diagnoses for both NHS and private patients, which will alleviate pressure on waiting lists and reduce waiting times for a scan.

The new equipment uses the latest technology, which means that it will take less time to complete scans, meaning more patients can be seen for a diagnosis than in the past. The new equipment is much wider inside than other scanners, and so is more comfortable for patients.

New MRI scanner at Spire Fylde Coast Hospital

The scanning service currently operates Monday to Saturday, although it may be extended to cover Sundays, if there is demand.

The scanner is located in a new unit, which had to be levered into place using a specialist crane over a weekend earlier this month. Strict infection control processes were put in place to keep patients and staff COVID-secure during the installation process and the teams went to considerable effort to reduce noise and disruption so that the hospital could continue to function normally.

MRI scanner being lifted in place

Tracy Jackson, Hospital Director at Spire Fylde Coast Hospital, said: “Here at Spire Fylde Coast Hospital, we are absolutely committed to making sure our patients can have fast access to diagnosis and treatment. Investing in state-of-the-art facilities, like our new scanner, enables us to do this.

“We are proud to have played an important role in helping to keep a wide range of services, including cancer services, going during the pandemic, when our local NHS Trust needed to focus on treating COVID-positive patients. With our new scanner, we can continue to do this.”

As part of Spire’s contract with NHS England to provide support during the pandemic, Spire Fylde Coast Hospital provided cancer and other surgery for NHS patients. It cared for over 4,300 NHS patients in total, between March 2020 and March 2021.