THE case for Minehead Community Hospital to have a permanent CT scanner is being pressed with Care Minister Stephen Kinnock.

West Somerset MP Rachel Gilmour has asked the Minister for a meeting where she can outline benefits in making the current scanner a permanent service.

The hospital has had a ‘relocatable’ CT and MRI scanner since last August and Mrs Gilmour said the service was providing ‘a new level of care’ for the West Somerset community.

The temporary contract was part of NHS plans to invest in local health services to shift from sickness to prevention in the Government’s 10-year health plan.

Mrs Gilmour said the CT scanner had made a ‘huge difference’ to local people, allowing for early diagnosis of chronic illnesses ‘to improve patient outcomes and reduce pressure on acute services’.

She said West Somerset experienced transport connectivity issues where it could take patients two hours to reach Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, using two different buses.

Taxi services could cost ‘an eye-watering’ £180 for a return fare, which was unaffordable for many people in an area with a disproportionately elderly and deprived population.

Mrs Gilmour said: “These barriers delay diagnosis and treatment.”

She said a permanent installation in Minehead would save time, money, and, potentially, lives.

Minehead Hospital’s contract for both its CT and MRI scanners is set to end on March 26, with a possibility of it being extended for a further two months.

However, Mrs Gilmour wants the Minister to make the CT scanner a permanent service locally.

Mrs Gilmour said: “I am aware of how much Minehead Community Hospital and the local community have benefitted from having a temporary CT scanner unit on site.

“West Somerset’s poor transport connectivity and large elderly population mean having these types of facilities locally is a game changer for making early diagnoses and improving patient outcomes.”