Diagnostic services for communities across Devon have been significantly enhanced following major investment in a new MRI suite at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH). 

The Atlantic MRI Suite will reduce the need for costly and inconvenient travel to Exeter, Taunton, or Bristol, for patients needing to access scans, helping to reduce the time people have to wait. It houses a cutting-edge scanner that delivers enhanced imaging services, creating diagnostic capacity and resilience that will add to the hospital’s existing MRI capability in North Devon.

Funded by a £2.3 million capital award from NHS England, the suite has been delivered through the Trust’s Capital Development Team and Our Future Hospital (OFH) programme. 

OFH is part of the national New Hospital Programme (NHP) and is the Trust’s long-term project to build a better hospital in northern Devon that meets the needs of local people now, and in the future.

The single suite will deliver tangible, immediate benefits for patients and staff. By investing in a permanent, modern solution, the Trust will reduce its reliance on mobile MRI provision and the independent sector, leading to substantial cost efficiencies over the next decade. The new facility is equipped to offer both routine and urgent scans, helping the hospital address national diagnostic targets and cancer pathway standards.

Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive of the Royal Devon, said: “Our patients deserve timely, high-quality diagnostics and this investment in a second MRI scanner provides the extra capacity we need to reduce waiting times as well as providing greater resilience.”

One of the transformative aspects of the new suite is its ability to cater for a wider range of patient groups, including bariatric cases and paediatric patients who may require general anaesthetic monitoring. Previously, these services required referrals to specialist centres outside of the area. 

The suite’s location and design will address the accessibility challenges previously associated with mobile units, improving convenience and comfort for inpatients, wheelchair users, and those with limited mobility. It will also be more energy efficient, helping reduce the Trust’s carbon footprint and supporting national ambitions for greener healthcare delivery. The investment is predicted to cut MRI energy consumption by up to 40% compared to older models.

The Atlantic MRI is just one of the ways in which the Trust is investing in and upgrading its spaces to deliver excellent patient facilities and a great place to work for our colleagues, using external funding. Through the OFH programme, the Trust is continuing to seek further funding to deliver a twin MRI scanning suite as part of several planned hospital redevelopments.

Other projects that are either underway or where funding commitments have been given include: 

• New hybrid theatre at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford).
• New surgical hub at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Heavitree).
• Creating a new community diagnostic centre (CDC) in Bideford and expanding the CDC at Nightingale Hospital Exeter.
• Delivering enhanced Same-Day Emergency Care facilities at both Exeter and Barnstaple.
• A new Clinical Research Hub in North Devon.
• New hospital residences at North Devon District Hospital as part of the OFH Programme.

These schemes are part of a programme of investment totalling over £80m over the next two to three years to modernise our estate, so that we can deliver high quality and efficient care to our patients.