A £2m MRI facility has opened at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, replacing a mobile scanner and bringing the hospital's three permanent scanners together in one dedicated unit.
Main contractor Helix CMS delivered the project for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, installing a new radiofrequency (RF)-shielded scan room to house a GE HealthCare-supplied MRI scanner, alongside dedicated technical and control rooms.
The construction work took place within a live MRI department, with the site fully hoarded off from day-to-day clinical activity to maintain safe patient circulation and minimise disruption to hospital services.
The new facility is expected to support around 60 patient scans a day across the three scanners, increasing appointment capacity and helping the Trust reduce waiting times.
It will also improve access for patients with mobility needs and enable the department to offer appointments to a wider range of patients, including children.
Ross Bellingham, Commercial Director at Helix CMS, said the installation presented technical and operational challenges, particularly in coordinating the building works with the scanner manufacturer's requirements and specialist contractors.
“Successfully delivering an MRI facility is about far more than the construction itself.”
“It requires a detailed understanding of the technical and operational requirements, an appreciation of the scanner manufacturer’s specialist needs and, crucially, the experience and ability to manage and coordinate the interfaces between the building, the equipment, the services and the various specialist contractors,” wrote Bellingham on LinkedIn.
The installation follows Helix CMS's work on the £20m Scunthorpe Community Diagnostic Centre, which opened in 2025 and includes MRI and CT scanning.
