New Ysbyty Glan Clwyd MRI scanner Wales first for NHS hospital

The new hi-tech machine will increase capacity at the hospital and reduce waiting times for patients across North Wales.

The weight-bearing MRI unit – known as the G-Scan – means the hospital can now scan patients in any position, from standing up to the traditional position of lying down.

Depending on where the patient is experiencing pain, positioning them in a more upright weight-bearing position for their scan may reveal conditions which may not be apparent in scans where they lie down.

The machine is an open magnet system rather than a traditional ‘tunnel’ system, it is ideal for claustrophobic patients. The MRI scanner will also cut electricity costs for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board by up to £50,000 a year.

The funding has come from the Welsh Government’s £25m Health Technologies Fund which invests in the Welsh NHS to improve patient care.

Deputy Minister for Health Vaughan Gething said:

“We are investing in the latest technology available to make sure patients have access to the most up to date treatments.

“The health board applied for Welsh Government funding to become the first NHS hospital in Wales to have this model scanner. It will increase diagnostic capability at the hospital and help reduce waiting times.

“This shows our continued commitment to investing in our NHS to provide world class services for patients.”

Mrs Pat Youds, Associate Chief of Staff for Radiography in North Wales said:

“Having the G-scan means we have extra capacity to meet high demand for the scanning of patients who are referred from all over North Wales.

“We now have a more radical option for scanning patients who may not tolerate the standard whole-body MRI experience, and/or who are only experiencing their symptoms when weight bearing.”

Ruthann Parker, a 48 year old patient from Rhyl, explains:

“I suffered from a fall at home around 10 months ago. The doctors at Glan Clwyd Hospital suspected a scaphoid fracture. But as these often don’t show up on X-rays, an MRI was suggested which I absolutely dreaded as I’d suffered extreme claustrophobia during past MRI scans.

“For me, a closed MRI scanner is the equivalent to a torture chamber. When the hospital told me they had a new MRI machine which was open, I was ecstatic! The open MRI meant I only had to keep my hand still, not my whole body, so I could chat and relax throughout the procedure. A ligament problem was diagnosed, which is now on the mend.

“This has been a life-changing experience for me: I have been living with pain from injuries sustained in a car accident nearly 30 years, for which I should I have had several MRIs by now. Knowing that I can access an open MRI scanner means I can finally receive diagnosis and treatment for injuries I thought would never be resolved.”