New age health care has arrived

The £800,000 upgraded scanner, which weighs the same as a double-decker bus, will provide patients with the full range of MRI examinations - as well as ensuring the hospital can provide breast MRI imaging for the first time.

As well as being used to help diagnose breast cancer, the scanner will be used to study the brain, spinal cord, heart and blood vessels, other internal organs, such as the lungs or liver, bones and joints.

It can also diagnose conditions such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, arthritis, lung and prostate cancer as well as damage to muscle and ligaments in sports injuries.

The new equipment, which produces higher quality images, has been able to be installed at the hospital thanks to a partnership with Alliance Medical.

Mandy Howells, imaging manager at Nuffield, said: “The new scanner is really patient-friendly as it has a wider circumference, it can also accommodate larger patients who might otherwise not be able to receive appropriate treatment.

“It can also help significantly with the issues more traditional scanners can have with claustrophobia.”