North Tyneside Hospital has a newly-refurbished MRI suite
The opening of a refurbished £1.5m MRI scan centre in North Tyneside(Image: NHS)
A newly-refurbished centre for MRI scans has opened at North Tyneside Hospital – and it will use artificial intelligence to improve results. The technology can detect conditions such as bone marrow cancer quicker than ever while will also improves heart scans.
The new facility was opened earlier this week. It will be open seven days a week and will boost capacity so more than 540 extra patients can be seen each year. The project is a partnership between Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust which runs the hospital and the firm InHealth.
Marion Dickson, now Northumbria Healthcare’s executive director for clinical support and cancer services, said: “Diagnostic tests such as MRI scans are critical to ensuring our patients get timely, high-quality care, so I’m delighted that the new facility is helping us get more patients their scans each month and onto the right treatment more quickly.
“We know that patients having an MRI may be anxious about the scan itself and what the results mean for them, so to be able to reduce the time they spend in the scanner and provide this service in comfortable surroundings is important.
“The upgrade will also support improved staff experience, and I am grateful to colleagues within the trust and at InHealth who have helped deliver this important project.”
The opening of a refurbished £1.5m MRI scan centre in North Tyneside(Image: NHS)
An scanner upgrade also includes using the Siemens Deep Resolve AI technology to improve image quality and speed up scans. Additionally, whole-body scans will see comprehensive myeloma screening take place – meaning bone marrow cancers can be detected more rapidly than via x-ray.
A new tool – called ‘myExam Cardiac Assist’ will also use AI to “simplify and standardise” cardiac exams, boosting quality and efficiency. Amelia Staniland, InHealth’s managing director – diagnostics, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to formally mark the opening of the MRI facility at North Tyneside, a £1.5million investment which is just the latest step in our long-standing relationship with Northumbria Healthcare.
“I’d also like to say thank you to everyone involved in the creation and running of this unit, including the team of InHealth staff who manage the unit day-to-day, for all of their efforts and continuing to provide patients with access to the care they need, even during the refurbishment work.”
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