20/11/2025
New State-of-the-Art MRI Scanner Opens At Causeway Hospital
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has formally opened a new state-of-the-art MRI scanner unit at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
The new diagnostic unit represents an investment of approximately £2 million and is set to significantly increase the imaging capacity of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust.
The new scanner is expected to result in reduced waiting times for patients. Until its opening, inpatients at Causeway Hospital who required an MRI scan had to be transferred to Antrim Area Hospital and then brought back, a process the new unit now eliminates.
Minister Nesbitt commended the Trust's work, stating: "The expansion of MRI capacity to the Causeway Hospital site will help increase patient flow and drive down waiting lists, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for all."
He highlighted the hospital's future, noting that the Trust's Strategic Vision, published in March 2024, includes maintaining a 24/7 Emergency Department and attracting further investment. The Minister confirmed other recent investments at Causeway Hospital, including £1.8 million for urgent and ambulatory care and £1.2 million for solar energy.
Lynne McCartney, Interim Director for Surgery and Clinical Services with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, said the new unit moves them a step closer to their goal of becoming an elective and diagnostic hub for the northwest area.
"This is transformative for imaging services in our Trust and will be hugely beneficial for patients and staff at the Causeway Hospital and beyond," she said. "With the addition of this newest scanner, the Trust now has three MRI scanners across the Causeway and Antrim Hospital sites, allowing us to increase our overall imaging capacity and provide diagnostic scans to patients in a much timelier way, benefiting patients across Northern Ireland."
The new diagnostic unit represents an investment of approximately £2 million and is set to significantly increase the imaging capacity of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust.
The new scanner is expected to result in reduced waiting times for patients. Until its opening, inpatients at Causeway Hospital who required an MRI scan had to be transferred to Antrim Area Hospital and then brought back, a process the new unit now eliminates.
Minister Nesbitt commended the Trust's work, stating: "The expansion of MRI capacity to the Causeway Hospital site will help increase patient flow and drive down waiting lists, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for all."
Lynne McCartney, Interim Director for Surgery and Clinical Services with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, said the new unit moves them a step closer to their goal of becoming an elective and diagnostic hub for the northwest area.
"This is transformative for imaging services in our Trust and will be hugely beneficial for patients and staff at the Causeway Hospital and beyond," she said. "With the addition of this newest scanner, the Trust now has three MRI scanners across the Causeway and Antrim Hospital sites, allowing us to increase our overall imaging capacity and provide diagnostic scans to patients in a much timelier way, benefiting patients across Northern Ireland."
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.