A NEW state-of-the-art scanner is set to offer medics the chance to diagnose conditions more accurately than ever before.

The high-resonance MRI machine, which has cost hospital bosses nearly £1m, is now operational at Furness General Hospital after a four-month installation.

Patients have been undergoing scans in a mobile unit stationed outside of the Dalton Lane hospital since October.

The new Siemens machine, which came with a price tag of £900,000, is said to deploy the latest technology to provide clinicians with clearer images than ever before - as well as undertaking a wider range of examinations.

The model was chosen by the team of radiologists and radiographers at the hospital, Chris Whiteside, the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay's head of radiology, explained.

"The previous scanner had been in the hospital for the last 10 years, so we are thrilled that we are fully opening our brand new scanner at FGH.

"This new scanner not only gives our clinicians better image quality for diagnoses, it also offers a much more relaxing and comfortable experience to patients. 

"Having an MRI scan can be daunting for some patients so ensuring that we can reduce any anxiety as much as possible was high on the wish list for us when we picked the replacement scanner."

The new MRI scanner is said to come with a series of benefits for patients including reduced noise while in use and a sky ceiling to help reduce anxiety for people undergoing a scan.

The waiting and changing facilities at FGH have also been upgraded.

The previous magnetic resonance imaging machine broke down in October just weeks before it was due to be replaced.

The change-over had originally been scheduled to begin in November.

MR scanners, which are used by medics across the world, use radio waves and magnetic fields to produce an image of the body.

The scans can be then be interpreted by experts to rule out certain medical conditions, to diagnose patients and to determine stages of disease.

Dr Whiteside concluded: "We’d like to take this opportunity to thank patients for their patience while we replaced the scanner, and we hope those patients who use the new scanner notice a positive difference."