Big boost for North Devon patients as new MRI scanner opens

Diagnostic services in North Devon have been expanded following the opening of a new MRI suite at North Devon District Hospital.

The Atlantic MRI Suite is expected to increase scanning capacity and reduce the need for patients to travel to hospitals in Exeter, Taunton or Bristol for diagnostic tests.

The facility houses a new scanner designed to provide both routine and urgent imaging, helping the hospital meet national diagnostic and cancer pathway targets. 

It adds to the hospital’s existing MRI provision and is intended to reduce waiting times for patients across the region.

The £2.3m project was funded through a capital award from NHS England and delivered by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Capital Development Team as part of its Our Future Hospital programme.

The programme forms part of the national New Hospital Programme and focuses on long-term redevelopment plans to improve hospital services in northern Devon.

The trust said the new suite would also reduce its reliance on mobile MRI units and independent providers, creating cost savings over the next decade.

Chris Tidman, deputy chief executive of the Royal Devon, said: “Our patients deserve timely, high-quality diagnostics and this investment in a second MRI scanner provides the extra capacity we need to reduce waiting times as well as providing greater resilience.”

The new suite has been designed to support a wider range of patients, including bariatric and paediatric cases, some of whom may require general anaesthetic monitoring. Previously, these patients were referred to specialist centres outside the Trust’s area.

Its permanent location is also intended to improve access for inpatients, wheelchair users and people with limited mobility, addressing challenges associated with mobile scanning units.

The trust said the scanner was more energy efficient than older models and could reduce MRI energy use by up to 40 per cent, supporting efforts to cut carbon emissions within the NHS.

The MRI suite is one of several projects being delivered through external funding as part of wider investment plans across the Trust. 

Other schemes include new surgical facilities in Exeter, expanded community diagnostic centres in Bideford and Exeter, enhanced same-day emergency care services, and new staff accommodation at North Devon District Hospital.

In total, more than £80m is being invested over the next two to three years to modernise hospital buildings and clinical facilities across the trust’s sites in Devon.