Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) has received £1.4 million from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for an additional MRI scanner to support ground-breaking research.
HDFT was one of only 36 NHS organisations in England to receive funding from the NIHR following a recent call for bids to improve access to research studies in smaller hospitals in England, particularly in rural and coastal areas.
The new state-of-the-art scanner will be used for a wide range of research opportunities, but will have a particular focus on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to aid the diagnosis of a number conditions.
HDFT is already leading the way in Imaging AI and has already introduced AI fracture detection software to help speed up the time it takes to diagnose a bone fracture.
At HDFT, AI analyses x-ray images in around 30 seconds and provides an initial interpretation for clinicians who can then prioritise their review if a fracture is detected.
The new MRI scanner will also be used for clinical use when it is not being used for research studies.
Dr Jacqueline Andrews, Medical Director at HDFT and Executive Lead for Research and Innovation welcomed the funding decision and said:
“Many congratulations to the clinical teams who successfully bid for a very significant sum of funding to purchase an additional MRI scanner at HDFT for research purposes.
“As a Trust we are committed to improving our research and innovation infrastructure to ensure that our patients and community in the Harrogate district have the same level of access to clinical trials of leading edge therapies and technologies as patients who may live nearer to a large teaching hospital.
“As well as the new research MRI scanner, we have also invested in a dedicated Clinical Research Facility and a new Innovation Hub at HDFT, and have already seen the benefits with a growth in the number of patients being offered and taking part in research and innovation studies.”
Professor Alison Layton is the Director of Research and Innovation at HDFT and Chair in Dermatology and Clinical Leads Skin Research Centre at Hull York Medical School, University of York.
She said:
“This is a huge achievement by the clinical teams and a very exciting initiative for our Trust.
“It levels up access across the region by allowing us to involve people in our communities in research which is addressing important clinical uncertainties and to build on the expertise in imaging that the team have developed.
“We have already identified opportunities to work with academic partners in York and Leeds and will build on such collaborations to ensure our patients can take advantage of research and innovation opportunities offered through the new MRI scanner.”
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