A new £1.6 million MRI scanner has been unveiled at a York hospital - to provide better scans more quickly.

The state-of-the-art technology at Clifton Park Hospital will provide "rapid high quality" imaging to NHS and private patients, say bosses.

The new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner has been installed by Clifton Park Hospital Limited (CPHL), a joint venture comprising Ramsay Healthcare UK (RHUK) and North Yorkshire Orthopaedics Surgeons (NYOS).

The imaging centre is within the hospital's outpatient facility just outside the city centre.

Hospital chiefs say demand for MRI imaging has grown in recent times, as medical and surgical specialists require detailed scans of different areas of our bodies, in order to accurately help diagnose many conditions.

MRI is painless, safe and avoids the use of harmful radiation.

As well as providing prompt analysis of bone and joint conditions the scanner can image brain, spine, and abdominal areas too.

Bosses say the  new scanner means patients will be able to get better scans more quickly.

While Clifton Park Hospital treats mainly orthopaedic patients, the scanner will also be used to reduce the waiting list for other Yorkshire NHS patients awaiting imaging for other conditions.

Tony Gibbon, consultant specialist knee surgeon, chair of NYOS, said he was "proud and excited".

He said: "To have better scans quicker will help me and my fellow consultant orthopaedic surgeons plan their treatment more promptly.

"My personal vision is that in the very the near future I can see a patient with a knee injury, get an immediate scan and plan their treatment on the same day, avoiding them needing three visits to our unit."

Sandra Donoghue, hospital director at Clifton Park Hospital, said: "On average, our expert radiographers will now be able to see 400 to 500 patients a month as a result of the addition of this new scanner. They will be working six days a week to help us reduce MRI wait times and improve our medical imaging services.

"We know that there has been an increased need for services in the locality like these since the Covid-19 pandemic and we hope the installation of this new unit will help us meet the demand." 

James Hamilton, consultant radiologist at Clifton Park Hospital, added: "The new scanner is one of the most advanced available and allows acquisition of much higher quality images improving the accuracy of diagnostics and in a much shorter time improving patient comfort."

Clifton Park Hospital is a dedicated orthopaedic centre. All consultants work for the NHS in York.