A NEW MRI scanner at Musgrove Park Hospital was officially opened today - and given Royal approval.

Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex was at the Taunton hospital to unveil the scanner, bought after a £1 million fundraising campaign, led by the hospital’s official charity Love Musgrove and backed by your County Gazette.

Her Royal Highness visited Musgrove Park Hospital during the MRI scanner fundraising campaign in March last year, and became its official patron alongside Somerset and England cricketer Marcus Trescothick.

During her second visit today (Tuesday), The Countess was given a tour of the radiology department, where she was able to see the new MRI scanner and hear about how it will benefit patients.

Colin Drummond, chairman of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex back to Musgrove Park Hospital so we could show her first hand all the huge benefits our new MRI scanner will have for our patients.

“The new scanner means we can provide vital diagnostics and treatment for more patients in Somerset than ever.

“I again want deeply to thank the local community for their incredible efforts and generous support for making this possible. The warmth of local support was incredible.”

Somerset County Gazette:

Having a third MRI scanner means clinicians at Musgrove Park can perform more of the most complex scans than ever before.

These types of scans are often required for patients with cancer. This is particularly important as the hospital has seen a 10 per cent increase in patients who need an MRI scan every year.

The scanner also helps to provide diagnosis for patients who may have breast cancer, neurological conditions, cardiac problems, tumours, spinal injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.

MRI is one of the fastest growing methods in diagnostic imaging, proving extremely versatile and replacing out of date examinations.

It is effective at investigating nearly any part of the body, especially the brain, spinal cord and soft tissue structures.

The additional scanner will mean:

  • More patients will be scanned quicker
  • More accurate diagnostics due to it being state-of-the-art equipment
  • Improved outcomes for patients
  • Lower maintenance and running costs, which can be invested back into patient care.

Patients who use the new MRI scanner will also get to see a selection of artworks of local seascapes and landscapes, which have been created by artist Leo Davey.

The artwork is on the ceiling of the scanning room, and is expected to have a calming effect on patients and provide something beautiful and relaxing for them to look at during their scan.

To conclude the visit, Love Musgrove announced that The Countess of Wessex has agreed to become the official patron of the charity itself, which continues to raise money for the hospital.

Its latest fundraising campaign is called Musgrove Babies, which aims to raise £100,000 to update the hospital’s maternity facilities.

For more information about the campaign, go to www.lovemusgrove.org.uk.

The refurbishment would include building and equipping three new recovery bays for women who have given birth but have need high dependency care.

Somerset County Gazette:

 

Somerset County Gazette: