Fully Staffed Mobile MRI Trailer University Hospital Llandough

Description

Introducing a mobile MRI unit will provide clear clinical and operational benefits. It will reduce patient waiting times, enable more timely imaging in relation to outpatient appointments, and relieve pressure on the existing MRI service. This additional capacity will also help stabilise service delivery and allow the Health Board to begin the next financial year with no patients breaching diagnostic targets, creating a sustainable position for managing demand moving forward. Procuring a mobile MRI scanner is therefore both a clinically justified and operationally necessary step to ensure continuity of service, improved patient access, and compliance with Welsh Government directives. Lot 1: The MRI service at CAVOC has experienced significant disruption during the current financial year due to an environmental leak that damaged the PEN cabinet, resulting in approximately ten weeks of downtime and the loss of around 560 MRI slots. This unplanned outage has further compounded an existing demand-versus-capacity deficit within the MRI service, which is also under additional pressure due to increased Radiology demand associated with the HBS outpatient in-sourcing contract. Currently, the Health Board is managing a backlog of around 2,000 patients breaching the eight-week referral-to-diagnostic target set by the Welsh Government. A recovery plan is in place to achieve a zero-breach position by the end of the 2025–26 financial year; however, this target cannot be met without securing additional MRI capacity. The procurement of a mobile MRI scanner from a private provider offers the most immediate and practical solution to recover lost capacity, support ongoing outpatient demand, and ensure compliance with national performance requirements. Introducing a mobile MRI unit will provide clear clinical and operational benefits. It will reduce patient waiting times, enable more timely imaging in relation to outpatient appointments, and relieve pressure on the existing MRI service. This additional capacity will also help stabilise service delivery and allow the Health Board to begin the next financial year with no patients breaching diagnostic targets, creating a sustainable position for managing demand moving forward. Procuring a mobile MRI scanner is therefore both a clinically justified and operationally necessary step to ensure continuity of service, improved patient access, and compliance with Welsh Government directives.. A mini competition was managed via the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Specialist Estates team utilising the NHS Supply Chain framework – NHSSC 125299-2014. The proposals received against the Health Board requirements were then shared with the evaluating team and recommendation to award was agreed to the lowest bidding provider.