A new £900,000 MRI Scanner is officially launched at Furness General Hospital today.
The UHMBT says it will provide more detailed images, leading to more acurate diagnosis.
A wider range of examinations will also be possible.
Chris Whiteside, Head of Radiology, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The previous scanner had been in the hospital for the last ten years, so we are thrilled that we are fully opening our brand new scanner at FGH on Monday.
“This new scanner not only gives our clinicians better image quality for diagnoses, it also offers a much more relaxing and comfortable experience to patients. Having an MRI scan can be daunting for some patients so ensuring that we can reduce any anxiety as much as possible was high on the wish list for us when we picked the replacement scanner."
Work has been ongoing to install the scanner since October 2015. During the installation a mobile scanner has been permanently situated at Furness General Hospital to maintain the service, with additional support provided by scanners at Westmorland General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
Chris added: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank patients for their patience whilst we replaced the scanner, and we hope those patients who use the new scanner from next week notice a positive difference.”