New scanner will aid patient treatment at Royal Lancaster Infirmary

A new £1m scanner which will help with the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic conditions has been officially unveiled at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
Front row from left: Alistair Piggot (Siemens health care), Helen Bell (CT/MR radiographer, Anothai Chareunsy, Sharon Timperley (head of radiology). Second row: Clare Anderson (CT/MR radiographer), Liz Hanley, lead CT/MR radiographer), Claire Alexander (divisional manager), Dr Janet Lavelle (consultant radiologist and clinical director), Debbie Crawford (imaging services manager). Back wow: Pearse Butler (chairman), Dr Robin  Proctor (consultant radiologist and clinical lead).Front row from left: Alistair Piggot (Siemens health care), Helen Bell (CT/MR radiographer, Anothai Chareunsy, Sharon Timperley (head of radiology). Second row: Clare Anderson (CT/MR radiographer), Liz Hanley, lead CT/MR radiographer), Claire Alexander (divisional manager), Dr Janet Lavelle (consultant radiologist and clinical director), Debbie Crawford (imaging services manager). Back wow: Pearse Butler (chairman), Dr Robin  Proctor (consultant radiologist and clinical lead).
Front row from left: Alistair Piggot (Siemens health care), Helen Bell (CT/MR radiographer, Anothai Chareunsy, Sharon Timperley (head of radiology). Second row: Clare Anderson (CT/MR radiographer), Liz Hanley, lead CT/MR radiographer), Claire Alexander (divisional manager), Dr Janet Lavelle (consultant radiologist and clinical director), Debbie Crawford (imaging services manager). Back wow: Pearse Butler (chairman), Dr Robin Proctor (consultant radiologist and clinical lead).

Pearse Butler, chairman of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, cut the ribbon to launch the Siemens Aera 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanner will be used by staff in the Radiology Department in a newly designed MR scanner suite.

The new suite provides a relaxing environment for MR patients and has been designed with a dedicated in patient area and other patient facilities to ensure we offer patient centred care.

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The scannerwill be used by about 140 patients per week. The demand for MR continues to increase year on year and this new facility will provide reliable, high quality diagnostic imaging.

Mr Butler said: “I am absolutely delighted to be opening this new scanner, which will be a wonderful addition to our services at the RLI and a great facility for our patients.”

The MR scanner has a large bore, which means it is a wider opening so is better for claustrophobic patients.

It also has an in inbuilt radio to help relax patients during their scans, as well as other equipment features help reduce manual handling for staffusing the scanner.

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Anothai Chareunsy, a recent patient at the RLI who underwent a scan with the new machine, said: “I had a scan many years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by how much better my experience in this new scanner was.”

Sharon Timperley, head of radiology, said: “This new facility is a great addition to the Radiology Department at the RLI.

“The scanner has up to date technology which will provide better quality images to optimise diagnosis and support the clinical decision making process.

“It has a faster patient set up and is quieter than the previous scanner therefore improving the overall patient experience.”