New information reveals £1 million MRI scanner for cancer patients removed from Fenland - despite promises it would stay
A £1 million mobile MRI scanner to speed up the diagnosis of cancer and cardiovascular patients has been removed from Fenland, with health bosses claiming this is due to a lack of patient demand despite the public and elected representatives not being told of the decision.
Just over a year ago I raised concerns regarding access to the valuable MRI scanner following a decision to temporarily move it to Ely whilst building work was undertaken. I also questioned why more use was not being made of the new £2.1 million state-of-the-art Wisbech Community Diagnostic Centre.
Cambridgeshire health bosses assured me at the time that the change in the MRI scanner was temporary, for a few months only, to enable an upgrade at the Wisbech site. They wrote on 23rd November 2023 to say :
"essential electrics work is being undertaken at the Wisbech site to allow MRI and CT scan units to move away from generator use and onto mains power. Once these works are complete in early 2024, the MRI unit will be installed back on site at Wisbech CDC”.
In fact instead of returning to Wisbech in April 2024 as previously promised, the ICB has since cancelled the MRI scanner which it previously rented. At no point does this information appear to have been shared with the public and elected representatives, despite stating the decision was due to a lack of patient demand.
The claim of a lack of patient demand is an odd given high waiting lists and the absence of any public information campaign. Nor should this information only come to light after I raised further questions recently over the under utilisation of the Wisbech CDC (as set out in my blog on Monday).
Please see my letter to health bosses below asking why the valuable MRI scanner has been lost from Fenland, why the information appears to have been kept from the public, and why the £2.1 million investment in the Community Diagnostic Centre is not being maximised.
