A £1MILLION lifes-aving piece of equipment has been lifted into the new West Cumberland Hospital. 

And it’s the first time that the Whitehaven hospital has ever had its own permanent MRI scanner. 

It will replace the mobile scanner, which currently operates on site, once the new part of the hospital opens in October. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. 

Patients who currently have to travel to Carlisle or beyond for complex MRI will now have local access and the bigger aperture (opening) of the magnet will alleviate feelings of claustrophobia, say health chiefs. 

Radiology director and consultant, Dr Jon Berry, said: “We have been provided with an excellent mobile service in Whitehaven for many years but it does have its limitations. “The highly specified technology within the new system will improve image quality, reduce sequence time and be more intuitive for the operator, resulting in improved diagnostics, seven days a week.” 

The new scanner will be located in the X-ray department in a central area of the new hospital which will also house two new digital X-ray machines and two ultrasound machines. 

There will also be a fluoroscopy machine (medical imaging which shows a continuous X-ray image on a monitor so movement of a body part can be seen in detail) as well as a new CT scanner.

 Staff will be trained to use the new equipment by specialists together with the Trust’s specialist MR radiographers from the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.