Yorkshire patients can now benefit from a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner installed as a result of a £1.6m investment by Clifton Park Hospital Limited (CPHL), a joint venture comprising Ramsay Healthcare UK (RHUK) and North Yorkshire Orthopaedics Surgeons (NYOS) Ltd.
In addition to delivering excellent orthopaedic inpatient and outpatient care for over 16 years, CPHL is now able to provide rapid high quality expertly reported imaging to NHS and private patients alike.
The imaging centre is located within the Clifton Park Hospital outpatient facility just outside the city centre, with easy access by public transport and free on-site parking.
Demand for MRI imaging has grown massively in recent times, as medical and surgical specialists require detailed scans of different areas of our bodies, in order to accurately help diagnose many conditions.
MRI is painless and safe and avoids the use of harmful radiation.
As well as providing prompt analysis of bone and joint conditions the scanner can image brain, spine, and abdominal areas too.
The addition of this new service means that patients will be able to get better scans quicker.
The technology installed enables shorter scanning times without compromising on the quality of the images. This also means that more scans can be undertaken and that patients will spend less time in the scanner making it a more tolerable experience.
Whilst Clifton Park Hospital treats mainly orthopaedic patients, the scanner will also be used to reduce the waiting list for other Yorkshire NHS people awaiting imaging for other conditions.
In particular, CPHL is working in close collaboration with York Hospital Trust to provide imaging services in order to reduce waiting times for its patients awaiting many different types of MRI imaging.
From an orthopaedic perspective, Tony Gibbon, Consultant Specialist Knee Surgeon, Chair of NYOS, states that he is ‘proud and excited that, as a group, we have been able to develop this service with Ramsay Health Care UK and our radiological colleagues to meet our patients’ needs. To have better scans quicker will help me and my fellow Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons plan their treatment more promptly.
My personal vision is that in the very the near future I can see a patient with a knee injury, get an immediate scan and plan their treatment on the same day, avoiding them needing three visits to our unit.’
Sandra Donoghue, Hospital Director at Clifton Park Hospital, said:
‘On average, our expert radiographers will now be able to see 400 to 500 patients a month as a result of the addition of this new scanner. They will be working six days a week to help us reduce MRI wait times and improve our medical imaging services.
We know that there has been an increased need for services in the locality like these since the COVID-19 pandemic and we hope the installation of this new unit will help us meet the demand.’
James Hamilton, Consultant Radiologist working with Clifton Park Hospital commented:
‘The new scanner is one of the most advanced available and allows acquisition of much higher quality images improving the accuracy of diagnostics and in a much shorter time improving patient comfort.’
Clifton Park Hospital is a dedicated Orthopaedic Centre where care is Consultant led from initial consultation through to discharge. All consultants work for the NHS in York and are Fellowship trained sub-specialists focusing on one joint. Specialist orthopaedic care is provided by a long-standing team of orthopaedic-trained Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Radiographers, and support staff.
The hospital treats over 2000 patients every year and has excellent patient outcomes in benchmarking registers and outstanding patient feedback.
For fast access to orthopaedic care, self-funding patients are able to arrange consultations without a GP referral, and those with medical insurance can book an appointment directly through their insurance company.
For more information please contact 01904 211 645.