The construction of a multi-million-pound Community Diagnostic Centre at Royal Bolton reached a major milestone after the installation of an MRI scanner at the site.
The MRI scanner is the first of a number of pieces of state-of-the-art apparatus to be installed with the "one-stop-shop" on course to open on March 18 of this year.
As it weighs four tonnes its installation was the result of cooperation between construction company Overbury PLC and technology company, Siemens PLC.
Once operational it is to offer around 600 scans a month via weekday, weekend and evening appointments, alongside other scanners such as CTs and X-rays.
Sharon White, the director of strategy, digital and transformation at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: "An incredible amount of progress has been made over the last few months and the installation of our MRI scanner is a major milestone for our Community Diagnostic Centre.
"The centre will be a one-stop-shop to improve access to vital tests and scans for our communities and it will help us to ensure people are diagnosed for conditions as early as possible.
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"By catching any life-threatening or debilitating conditions sooner we are able to ensure people are receiving the treatment they need, improving their health outcomes and saving lives.
"This is a huge investment in healthcare for Bolton and we are really looking forward to welcoming our first patients through the doors in just a few weeks' time."
The construction of a multi-million-pound Community Diagnostic Centre at Royal Bolton is only one of a number of projects making progress on Minerva Road.
The Institute of Medical Sciences, formerly the Bolton College of Medical Sciences, is on course to open for the start of the academic year in September 2024.
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Ryan Calderbank, the divisional director of operations for diagnostics and support services at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: "A lot of work has taken place behind the scenes to get our Community Diagnostic Centre ready for this milestone.
"Now it is in place it will play an vital part in the lives of thousands of people for years to come and I would like to thank our trust teams, iFM [Integrated Facilities Management] Bolton, Overbury and Siemens for the forensic planning to ensure our MRI scanner was safely delivered and installed."
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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