Henry Smith MP has visited the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner at Crawley Hospital, which will improve the care of hundreds of patients.
 
Henry said:
 
“I'm pleased that the vision of the Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group, working in partnership with local patients and clinicians is being realised right here in our town.
 
“It'll mean that patients from Crawley and across the county can be seen at Crawley Hospital for assistance with muscle and joint conditions.
 
“The opportunity to see these facilities for myself was insightful and to speak those NHS staff involved in making this happen.”
 
MRI scans provide detailed images inside the body, to assist with diagnosis of muscle and joint conditions. The images are used by clinicians to help them plan the most effective treatment for patients.
 
The scanner is located on a newly-constructed hard standing area, outside the Green Wing at Crawley Hospital.
 
This follows a drive by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex to improve muscle and joint care for local patients.
 
It is part of the premises development plans for Crawley and Horsham Hospitals.
 
Diane Gilmour, Programme Manager for Musculoskeletal and planned care at NHS Crawley CCG and NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG, commented;

“Having the MRI on site will enable patients to attend clinics and have their assessments - and results - completed on the same day if appropriate. This will reduce the time between clinic and treatment, and reduce the number of visits they need to make back and forth.”

Michael Morris, from Crawley, worked in partnership with the CCG and local clinicians to redesign the MSK service. He cares for his wife, Margaret, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Michael said;

“We welcome this addition to the Crawley MSK service and hope that it will reduce waiting times for patients as part of the one-stop-shop approach.”

Sussex MSK Partnership, launched in October 2014, is the provider of new muscle and joint services. It is made up of Brighton and Hove Integrated Care Service (BICS), Horder Healthcare (HH), Sussex Community NHS Trust (SCT) and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT).
 
Henry continued:
 
“It was this Government who enabled more health decisions to be taken locally with the formation of Clinical Commissioning Groups, including our own local Crawley CCG. This is in contrast to the previous Government who from afar closed our maternity and A&E services.
 
“I've been reassured to see more and more improvements made to Crawley Hospital since 2010. I was pleased to officially open the site’s Digital Mammography Unit in 2012.”

External links:
Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group
Crawley Hospital
Sussex MSK Partnership

Notes to Editors

Sussex MSK Partnership is a unique local, not for profit partnership bringing together primary care, specialist musculoskeletal care, community and mental health and well-being experts to deliver the whole musculoskeletal service in central Sussex.

The Partnership brings together local healthcare experts from across a range of healthcare services. In the new design CCGs developed a clearly defined route through the service, meaning shorter waiting times for appointments and test results whilst still receiving the highest quality care.

The redesign has brought the many services involved in musculoskeletal care together (including radiology physiotherapy, podiatry, rheumatology, orthopaedics, and pain management). The model, which is described as main hubs with smaller spokes will mean more services are available closer to where patients live. It will also mean patient care will be joined up across hospital and community services.

The partnership also draws support from local and national experts in MSK with the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) providing expertise and materials for the service, and local hospital trusts, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH) and Sussex and Surrey Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) providing care as part of the contracting arrangements. Scans and x-rays will be provided by Medical Imaging Partnership (MIP) and the partnership is supported by local groups including the Carers Centre, Brighton and Hove, and The Fed Centre for Independent Living, amongst others.