For many years, the Trust has wanted to provide more specialist paediatric services locally for children and families.
In the past, many children who needed an MRI scan had to travel to specialist hospitals in London. This often caused worry for children and meant extra time, cost and stress for parents and carers.
We are pleased to share that a new paediatric MRI service is now available within the Trust. This means children can be seen closer to home, in the MRI 3T suite. It is the Trust’s first Advanced Nurse Practitioner-led MRI service and marks an important step forward in how we care for children.
The new pathway also uses the Kitten scanner, kindly donated by Dartford Lions in 2023/24. The scanner uses play to help children feel more relaxed and confident before their scan, which can reduce anxiety and often avoid the need for sedation.
This service has been made possible thanks to the hard work and commitment of teams across Paediatrics, Radiology and the Charity team, as well as the generous support of the Dartford Lions. Together, they have helped improve the experience of MRI scans for local children and their families.