Gilbert Bain to get temporary MRI scanner

The current Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

Gilbert Bain Hospital will have a mobile MRI scanner for a week before it heads to Orkney.

The scanner will arrive on Friday, 15th July, and will leave on Saturday, 23rd July, allowing up to 300 people to be seen locally instead of travelling to Aberdeen.

Unfortunately, for clinical reasons not all patients or examination types can be performed on the mobile scanner.

As a result Gilbert Bain Hospital will let patients know if they still need to travel to Aberdeen to access a specialist service.

Kathleen Carolan, nursing and acute services director, said: “I am really pleased that with additional Scottish government funding, we have been able to work with other health boards in the north of Scotland to offer this new visiting MRI service.

“It means that whilst we procure our own MRI scanner, we will be able to provide the majority of scans locally and our radiographers will run the service which will help to train and maintain their skills in the meantime.”

To allow safe access to the hospital site, parking restrictions will be in place on Cairnfield Road from Thursday evening (14th July) until after the scanner has entered the site.

The six disabled car parking spaces at the front of the hospital will be temporarily relocated to the opposite side of the car park whilst the scanner is in Shetland.

Vehicular access (except emergency vehicles) to the site may undergo slight delays on Friday morning whilst the scanner is being positioned.

On Friday morning, staff will be setting up the scanner to ensure it is ready for appointments later the same day.

Appointments will be taking place from 2pm until 5pm on Friday, 15th July, and 8am until 5pm between Monday, 18th July and Friday, 22nd July.