THERE was disappointment in West Somerset this week when patients learned Minehead Community Hospital’s MRI and CT scanners were being removed.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (SNFT), which runs the hospital, said the scanners had always been temporary until a new facility for them was built in Bridgwater.

The trust also pointed to low take-up of appointments by West Somerset patients, meaning the scanners were not being used as much as expected.

The equipment, which was installed last August, had been available five days a week and was expected to deliver about 4,000 scans for people living in Minehead and the surrounding areas.

Now, they are being relocated to a purpose built unit in Bridgwater Hospital to which West Somerset patients will be expected to travel, with an alternative service available in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

Trust head of imaging Adam Turner said: “Scanners have been located in Minehead since August and in this short period, the uptake for appointments has been comparatively low, leading to poor utilisation rates.

“Other diagnostic services at Minehead are more widely used, and we have recently invested in upgrading the X‑ray room at Minehead Community Hospital.

“This will support the local community, for the next 10-year lifecycle of the equipment.

“We want to provide services in local communities where possible and we will continue to look for opportunities to do this in Minehead.”

Mr Turner said CT and MRI capacity in Somerset was being significantly expanded through the national Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) programme.

The programme includied opening centres in Taunton and Yeovil, and further capacity opening in Bridgwater this summer.

He said: “To manage existing demand prior to the opening of the Bridgwater CDC, relocatable CT and MRI scanners were temporarily placed at Minehead and Bridgwater community hospitals.

“Lack of available space meant we could not locate all of the scanners in Bridgwater.”

The scanners were provided after SNFT teamed up with AGITO Medical to install the imaging service in Minehead while a new Bridgwater Diagnostic Centre was being prepared.

A trust spokesperson said at the time: “This temporary new service will not only enable us to reduce waiting times, but also transfer diagnostic appointments away from our large hospitals and closer to patients’ homes, improving accessibility and supporting the NHS 10-year plan shift of acute to community care.

“The scanners also use battery power instead of diesel, cutting noise and saving around 100 tonnes of CO2.

“That is the same as the electricity used by 147 UK homes in a year.”