'Please help us to help you'

THE existence of Darlington Memorial Hospital owes much to the goodwill of the people in the local community – and to one charity in particular.

When the hospital was opened by Prince George on May 5, 1933, there was an important figure by his side. Sir Charles Starmer was not only the Mayor of Darlington but managing director of The Northern Echo and a leading Rotarian.

His place at the grand opening ceremony was reward for the efforts of the Rotary Club of Darlington which had raised £12,000 in just two years to build a children’s ward.

In those days, before the notion of the National Health Service had dawned, it was an awful lot of money but Rotary came up trumps and the charity’s connection to the local hospital was cemented for generations to come.

Now, there is a new need for a fundraising appeal, supported by The Rotary Club in galvanising the kind of community spirit that made such an impact more than 80 years ago.

In the New Year, an appeal for around £2.5m will be launched to buy MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners for Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland Hospital.

Long-standing Rotarian Alasdair MacConachie, says: “The whole reason for Rotary’s existence is to get behind important projects such as this and the charity has a proud association with hospital care in this area right from the very beginning.

“Of course, it’s a big challenge to raise a large amount of money by the end of 2017 but we have a track record of achieving ambitious targets and this is such an important appeal.”

The best person to underline that importance is Dr Elizabeth Loney, Clinical Director of Radiology for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT).

Dr Loney, who was brought into the trust 18 months ago from Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, saw a clear need for investment in new scanners, not only to improve the experience of patients but to save taxpayers’ money in the longer term.

She explained that the trust currently has use of three MRI scanners, based at its hospitals in Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Durham. However, only one of those scanners – the one at Durham – is actually owned by the trust. The others are owned and operated by a private company.

“When I arrived at CDDFT I could see there were significant service improvements to be made from bringing the scanning services in-house,” says Dr Loney.

“It’s about making the best use of taxpayers’ money and providing the best quality care for patients.”

The current scanners are old now and the aim is to replace them with equipment which will improve patient experience and enhance the quality of the images.

An MRI scanner is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment a health trust will buy and each one is a giant super-conducting magnet, many times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field.

When a patient goes into a scanner, their body becomes polarised – a mini-magnet – and they are subjected to harmless radio waves. In turn, the patients emit radio waves, which are analysed by powerful computer software, producing an image which is then reported by a radiologist (imaging doctor). External radio waves are prevented from getting into the scan room by a copper (Faraday) cage in the walls. X-rays show bones but MRI scanners are very good for identifying diseases affecting soft tissues, such as the brain, muscles, heart, liver and bowel.

They are particularly helpful in the identification of cancers and treatment of stroke patients, confirming not only that a stroke has taken place but also how recently it occurred.

And, crucially, MRI scanners don’t use radiation, an accumulation of which can increase the risk of cancer.

Dr Loney is delighted that the trust’s board has recently backed her vision of redesigning the MRI suite in Darlington. There will be a new consultation room and changing areas to aid privacy, along with improved, safer anaesthetic facilities.

That will represent a significant investment for the trust but, with the NHS facing huge financial challenges, there is a need to seek public help with the purchase of the scanners.

The new scanners will provide a much better patient experience: they will have wider tunnels to ease claustrophobia and cater for larger patients; they will be less noisy; have more ambient lighting; and will enabled patients to play music of their choice during the scan.

“There has always been a need for teamwork – a partnership between the NHS and the community – and this is a prime example of that,” says Dr Loney.

“The trust is making a big financial commitment by improving the infrastructure and environment but we need the public’s help to buy the all-important kit.”

The national demand for MRI scanning is up 14 per cent annually and that is certain to increase as the NHS focuses more on diagnostic rather than invasive procedures. The redesign of the MRI suite in Darlington has, therefore, been future-proofed to enable a second scanner to be installed in years to come if required.

For now, Dr Loney has no doubt about the value of the forthcoming appeal and summed up the message to the people of County Durham and Darlington as: “Please help us to help you.”

With local Rotary volunteers leading the way, just as they did 83 years ago, the trust is confident its partnership with the local community will pay dividends again.

If you would like to make a donation to the MRI appeal, you can visit the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Charity ‘justgiving’ website at: https://www.justgiving.com/cddft marking your donation ‘MRI appeal.