Patients to benefit from new MRI scanner at Medway Maritime Hospital

Hundreds of patients will be able to benefit from vital scans every month thanks to a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner that has been installed at Medway Maritime Hospital.

The new mobile scanner (pictured) will help patients get their diagnostic appointments quicker and reduce the number of people waiting for scans, which has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. The unit will be open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm, operated by qualified radiographers from the Trust’s Imaging Department.

Patients are typically referred for an MRI scan by their GP or hospital consultant. MRIs allow detailed images to be taken of the inside of the body, with doctors using scans to help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and identify how effective treatment is. The MRI procedure is painless and safe; scans don’t involve exposing the body to X-ray radiation, ensuring that patients who may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation – such as pregnant women, or those with allergies or kidney problems – can have an MRI scan where appropriate.