Thanks to the generosity of the community in Bucks, local charity, Scannappeal, is delighted to announce that in just over two years of launching the Bucks MRI Appeal for £1.5 million, the target has been reached. It is with sincere thanks to the generosity of so many people that Scannappeal have reached the significant milestone which will ensure patients attending Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville hospitals will have access to the very latest technology.
The Bucks MRI Appeal was launched in January 2019 to fundraise for two state of the art MRI scanners. The response was phenomenal. The first scanner was installed at Wycombe hospital in under a year and the first patient was scanned just as the country went into its first National lockdown. At the time of delivery Andrew Wainwright, Head of Service – Radiology and Pathology said: “It was very timely that under the difficult conditions caused by COVID-19 we were able to move out of the mobile scanner and into the brand new scanning suite in the hospital. Sincere thanks to everyone that played a part in enabling this to happen”.
With 22,000 MRI scans carried out at Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville hospitals in 2018, and demand growing by an estimated 13% annually, the completion of this appeal will future proof services for Bucks by increasing scanning capacity and capabilities across a wide range of medical investigation needs.
Lisa Trivett, Scannappeal Director, said: “When we first launched the appeal, we were apprehensive of the task ahead as it was the largest appeal Scannappeal had ever run. However, we have been overwhelmed with the public response to help us achieve the substantial target of £1.5 million. We cannot thank our supporters enough and are so very grateful of the generosity from the public who have supported and helped with the tremendous fundraising, it has been truly remarkable”.
The first MRI scanner at Wycombe hospital is already making a significant difference, not only to the hospital but also to the patient experience. The scanner is more comfortable, bigger, much quieter and importantly, a lot quicker. Latest MRI techniques for cancer, stroke, heart, spine and many other conditions will improve diagnosis and reduce the need for invasive procedures. The delivery of the second scanner at Stoke Mandeville hospital will make an even greater impact, increasing capacity across the county.