New MRI scanners will help cut diagnosis test waiting times
The two new scanners at Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, will enable about 10,000 more patients to be scanned every year
Waiting times for diagnostic tests for serious health conditions will be cut by new Scottish Government funded scanners, the health secretary has said.The two new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners at Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, will enable about 10,000 more patients to be scanned every year.
The latest official figures show waiting times for diagnostic MRI scans have been increasing across Scotland, with 1,912 patients waiting longer than the six-week target as of December 31 2017.
A total of 87.4% of patients were seen within the waiting-time target by that date, down from 92.7% on the same date the previous year.
The number of imaging exams at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital has risen 88% in the past six years and MRI is one of those continually in demand.
Ms Robison said: The £2.4 million investment from the Scottish Government in the Golden Jubilee Hospital will make an enormous difference.
It will help to reduce waiting times for diagnostics. 10,000 more Scots are going to receive a scan every year thanks to the two new MRI scanners and seeing it here in operation has been fantastic.
Speaking to a patient who has just been through, it's a very quick process.''
She added: Diagnostic waiting times are a key priority of the Scottish Government.
We want to improve diagnostics and reduce waiting times so that people can get treatment more quickly and this investment here at the Golden Jubilee will make a big difference, delivering more scans and helping to do that more quickly.''
The scanners, which have carried out 3,500 scans since being put in place at the end of last year, are part of a three-year expansion at the hospital which includes increasing orthopaedics and ophthalmology services.
Golden Jubilee Foundation chief executive Jill Young said: This direct investment to patient care will not only help us provide NHS Scotland with sustainable services for the future, but will allow us to have an even greater impact in diagnosing, treating and monitoring long-term health conditions, including heart disease and cancer.''