Residents Asked to Buy Raffle Tickets
Over the last decade MRI scanning has increasingly become the preferred method used by Cardiologists and Cardiac Surgeons for diagnosing heart problems. It has considerable advantages over traditional methods, providing very detailed images of the heart, including the condition of the muscle, tissue and valves. This enables treatment to be specifically targeted, leading to significantly improved results for patients.
The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough currently has two MRI scanners that are available for use by all departments other than Neurology which has its own dedicated facility. In response to the continually increasing demand across the board for MRI scanning, JCUH has recently committed some £2.3M, including £0.3M from the SCHF, to replacing the oldest scanner with a new ‘state of the art’ machine that will be used for most of the general purpose scanning.
Commissioning of the new scanner will release significantly more time for heart scans on the second of the existing machines, for which it is more suitable than the new machine. However, its processing capacity will still be well below the 2000 per year that is recognised as desirable for the JCUH catchment area of some 1.6 million people.
If heart scanning capacity is not increased to this level, the regional Cardiothoracic Centre at JCUH may lose its place in the top division of Cardiothoracic Units, with heart patients in the hospital’s catchment area unable to benefit from this advanced diagnosis and treatment. There is also the likelihood that, as a consequence, it may no longer be possible to recruit and retain the best professionals.
To address the above issue, the opportunity exists to refurbish and upgrade the second of the existing scanners at a cost of £0.5M to meet the required level of 2000 per year.
However, because of funding shortfalls, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has declared that it will not be in a position to commit to this investment for the foreseeable future.
It is against this background that the SCHF, with support from JCUH, has decided to mount an appeal to raise the £0.5M that is required.
Middlesbrough Erimus Rotary Club has now finalised arrangements with SCHF to organise and run a region-wide raffle with the objective of raising a substantial proportion of the funds required.
It is planned that the “Loving Hearts Scanner Appeal” raffle will be launched on 13th March 2015, and tickets will be sold over a period of eleven weeks, leading up to a gala charity dinner on Saturday 20th June when the prize draw will take place.
Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club is supporting the appeal and will be collecting at Boots the Chemists from 9am to 4pm and Barclays Bank from 9.30am to 2pm both on 14th March 2015
Whilst the aim is to sell raffle tickets, anyone wishing to simply make a donation may do so in either establishment on that date. Barclays Bank plc will match all ticket sales or donations on that date up to a total of £1000.
