More than 100 further MRI scans are being offered to NHS patients in a move described as a relief by the first to access the scans.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust already offers up to 410 MRI scans at King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton, and Newark Hospital each week, helping to check for conditions that cause symptoms including headaches, knee, and back pain.

Now the trust has made a further 130 scans available each week at a mobile unit, which has been installed at the privately-run Nottingham Road Clinic, Mansfield, as part of work to bring Nottinghamshire’s first Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC) to Mansfield.

The newly-launched MRI scanner is already helping to benefit patients, including 60-year old Melanie Croteau, of Mansfield Woodhouse, who was the service’s first patient.

“I went to Ashfield Health Village to help put my mind at rest after having some issues with my memory and they recommended that I go for a MRI scan,” she said.

“I went for the appointment on the Thursday and by the Tuesday I was already being called to book my scan at Nottingham Road, so it was a relief to get that sorted so quickly!

“If people have a serious condition then having a scan as soon as possible makes all the difference in helping to allay any concerns they might have as quickly as possible.

“It was really unusual to see the service running from a mobile unit in the car park. But it was simple, private, and very clean — but it did the job and that’s what matters.”

The additional MRI scans are being offered to patients on weekdays from 8am to 8pm, following a referral from their GP.

The trust – which runs King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community Hospitals – has already announced the roll-out of up to 255 additional blood tests each week that are now being offered as a drop-in service at Mansfield Community Hospital.

The roll-out of these extra MRI scans are the latest in the series of ‘accelerated’ health checks being made available before the ‘bricks and mortar’ of the full Centre is in place.

By the end of 2023, the trust is expecting to have launched up to 500 more of these ‘accelerated’ health checks.

The additional MRI scans are now being offered to patients on weekdays between 8am and 8pm, with patients needing to access these latest scans following a referral from their GP.

David Ainsworth, director of Strategy and Partnerships for Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “Community Diagnostic Centres are redefining the way patients access the vital tests and health checks they need across the country and we are proud to be bringing Nottinghamshire’s first Community Diagnostics Centre to our area.

“By thinking creatively and working alongside our NHS colleagues across Nottinghamshire and even nationally, we have already been able to start offering more blood tests to local people.

“The launch of these additional MRI scans is the next exciting chapter of that work, with the types of scans being offered at this new mobile unit also helping to free-up more specialist scans that are available at our King’s Mill site.”

Sherwood Forest Hospitals announced its plans earlier this year to build the purpose-built ‘Community Diagnostics Centre’ – or CDC – where a derelict building currently stands alongside Mansfield Community Hospital in Stockwell Gate.

The multimillion-pound plans went on to receive national funding in February, prior to them receiving the vital planning approval they needed to progress in April.

Once built, the Centre will become a ‘one-stop shop’ for patients from across Nottinghamshire to access the tests and investigations they need in a single visit, reducing the time it takes for patients to be referred to help them receive an ‘all clear’ or diagnosis sooner.

The full Community Diagnostics Centre is expected to open its doors to patients in 2025.

Getting a rapid diagnosis for conditions such as cancer will help patients access the treatments they need more quickly – something that could be genuinely life-saving, as earlier diagnosis is key to improving survival rates and quality of life for those suffering chronic diseases.

Checks available at the full centre, once it is developed, will include a host of X-rays, scans and other tests for a range of other conditions, including cancer and other long-term conditions – like heart and lung disease.

As well as delivering tens of thousands of additional health checks each month, the centre will also create 120 jobs for local people in a range of clinical and non-clinical roles.

For more information about the trust’s work to bring Nottinghamshire’s first CDC to Mansfield, visit the trust’s dedicated CDC webpage at www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/cdc.

Pictured, from left, are Sachin Patel, Gillian Asher, Lucy Skelton, and Sarah Sentence from Sherwood Forest Hospitals at the new MRI Unit.