New MRI Suite for Wakefield within reach with £250k donation from Sovereign Health Care

Across Yorkshire, the name Sovereign Health Care is well-known for supporting charitable endeavours at the region’s hospitals, and once more the Bradford based business has stepped up to transform facilities for local communities.

In the year of its 150^th anniversary, and with a new home on the Waterfront in Shipley, Sovereign Health Care have announced their support of a transformational project at The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, which cover care in the community and across three hospital sites at Pontefract, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

In late 2022, the Trust’s charity, MY Hospitals Charity, launched a £1.25 million campaign to raise vital funds towards a £6 million redevelopment of Radiology

facilities at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield. Containing CT suites, a new MRI development and critically, the purchase of a state-of-the-art 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner, the Radiology Suite is set to change the face of diagnostics across the region and allow patients in Mid Yorkshire access to the same level of care as peers in neighbouring towns and cities.

“Our clinical teams at Mid Yorkshire are exceptional”, said Keith Ramsay, Chairman at The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust. “We want to offer them the very best facilities and equipment so that they can use their skills to the highest levels and deliver world class care to patients in Wakefield, Dewsbury and Pontefract.”

The radiology facilities at present provide challenges for the medical teams, namely with a lack of recovery area for MRI scans requiring a general anaesthetic. “This affects some of our youngest patients the most”, adds Keith. “Children generally need an anaesthetic to undergo an MRI and without the recovery space at Pinderfields, our children in our region often have to go to Leeds or Sheffield which is not ideal, especially in an emergency. The new Radiology Suite will mean we can offer treatment in a patient’s home city, and remove the stress, discomfort and inconvenience that travel brings.”

Making a difference in Mid Yorkshire

The MRI Diagnostic Suite Appeal launched by MY Hospitals Charity is raising the final £1.25 million towards the project, with the remainder of the £6 million already secured from the Trust’s capital budgets and a grant of £1.15 million from NHS England. At the start of the Appeal, Sovereign Health Care have stepped in with a phenomenal commitment, pledging £250,000 towards the project.

Russ Piper, Chief Executive of Sovereign Health Care explained why the company felt inspired to get involved; “It is part of our ethos here at Sovereign to give back to local health initiatives that affect the communities in which we work. The MRI Diagnostic Suite Appeal at Pinderfields was no different. Upon hearing from the Charity leadership and the clinical teams, it was an easy decision for us to make. We are so impressed with the vision of the radiology team, and they made clear that the new facility would enable them to make a real difference to patient care in Mid Yorkshire. We want to be a part of that.”

The total now raised for the MRI Diagnostic Suite Appeal now stands at over £375,000 meaning just £875,000 is required to reach target and realise the vision for the new Radiology Suites to be installed in 2024. The Appeal has the backing of local figureheads such as Sir Rodney Walker, the Bishop of Wakefield and the Mayor of Kirklees amongst many others. Together, they are supporting the charity in reaching networks and spreading the word of the project. In the summer, a public appeal will be launched, encouraging schools, sports clubs and the general public to get involved. However, in the meantime, those wishing to make a gift or to learn more about the project can do so via the Appeal website www.mymriappeal.co.uk or by contacting the charity team on midyorks.myhospitalscharity@nhs.net