A NEW £1.5m charity-funded MRI scanner, which will bring a multitude of benefits to patients, was delivered to Mount Vernon Cancer Centre this week.

The project is funded by the Paul Strickland Scanner Centre and will enable Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, part of East and North Herts NHS Trust, and PSSC to work ever closer.

This will allow staff from both organisations to learn from each other and find new and better ways of improving care and treatment for patients.

The cancer centre will contribute its expertise in radiotherapy, as well as the scanning room. The scanner will be operated jointly by and will be a significant upgrade to the one currently being used at the cancer centre.

It’s expected to reduce waiting times, increase the number of people able to have a scan per day, and allow more precise radiotherapy treatment planning.

The new machine also features a wider opening, making scans easier for large patients or those who have claustrophobia.

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Claire Strickland, the Paul Strickland Scanner Centre chief executive, said: “Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is an international leader in cancer treatment and deserves praise for investing in techniques that allow radiotherapy to be delivered with a degree of precision that wouldn’t have been possible only a few years ago.

“This has allowed it to reduce the amount of radiation given to sensitive healthy tissue (and therefore reduce side effects to patients), potentially allowing increased doses directly to the tumour.

“However, this degree of precision depends on the ability to determine the exact location, size and shape of the tumour, which can only be achieved with cutting edge scanning equipment.

“Thanks to the support of our fund-raisers and donors, we’re able to help make treatment even better by deepening our partnership with Mount Vernon.”

It is expected the new scanner will be operational this summer.

Fund-raising for a new MRI scanner at the Paul Strickland centre continues. If you can help, email apppeals@stricklandscanner.org.uk or ring 01923 844290.