Royal Bournemouth Hospital adds capacity and advances careers with extremity MRI system
Since the installation of an Esaote O-scan Premium extremity MRI system at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in 2019, more than 5,000 examinations have been completed, significantly freeing up capacity on the hospital’s main MRI scanners by handling a substantial proportion of knee, ankle, foot, elbow, wrist and scaphoid scans. Now the hospital is planning to update the system.
“In preparation for 2025, the hospital’s structural updates required us to relocate the O-scan, giving us a unique opportunity to invest in an upgrade to the newly released O-scan Smart,” explained CT and MRI superintendent Matthew Benbow.
“This upgrade not only future-proofs our equipment but also brings us a new software platform ready to integrate upcoming innovations from Esaote. We anticipate that this scanner will continue to play a valuable role in our portfolio, offering a cost-effective solution that enhances our capacity.”
Choosing the extremity MRI has also allowed the department to make advances in other areas. “In 2023, we enrolled two RDA staff in an apprenticeship assistant practitioner programme in extremity MRI at the Health Sciences University in Bournemouth. They have completed over 1,500 NHS scans in their first year, freeing up significant band 6 radiographer time on the O-scan. This success inspired us to start two more students in September, with plans to make it an annual initiative.”
This programme is a personal point of pride, Benbow said, as it allows capable support staff to advance in their careers, ultimately joining as radiographer colleagues. “The O-scan has created the ideal environment for developing these high level skills alongside registered professionals, which is exactly what NHS assistant practitioners need,” he concluded.
Picture: specialist MRI radiographer Sharon McDermott, MRI assistant practitioner Josh Bertie, CT and MRI superintendent Matthew Benbow and specialist MRI radiographer Angus Fraser.
Read this report on page 20 of the December 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.