Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity has launched a £1.5m fundraising appeal to bring a state-of-the-art MRI scanner to the hospital for the first time.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital is a centre of excellence in women’s health and one of only two dedicated women’s hospitals in the UK. Every year, 1,300 women and babies at the hospital require a scan as part of their diagnosis and treatment. Around 60% currently wait longer than six weeks for an appointment and have to travel to the next closest site with MRI availability. The additional time and travel can be a cause of stress and have a financial impact for patients.
The hospital has plans to build a dedicated MRI suite alongside its antenatal clinic to house the new, high-tech scanner, but charitable funds are needed to make it a reality. A founding gift of £500,000 from The Lounge Foundation has already been received, with the charity’s corporate partners and major donors working together collectively to raise an additional £500,000, meaning there’s a final £500,000 to raise from the public.
There are many reasons why patients might need an MRI scan. The hospital cares for women who are experiencing gynaecological conditions, such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts or even cancer. Pregnant patients might be experiencing a complicated pregnancy, with issues with their placenta, unexplained bleeding or concern for the health of the baby, requiring an in utero foetal scan. Sometimes, poorly babies within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit might require a scan to help diagnose cardiac and brain injuries.
Bringing an MRI to Birmingham Women’s Hospital will significantly improve the experience and outcomes of the hospital’s patients, create scanning capacity and reduce wait times.
Matt Boazman, chief executive officer for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Having an MRI scanner on site at our hospital will make a massive difference to the service we can provide our women and babies. As a dedicated women’s hospital, many women and pregnant families will come to us for specialist care they are unable to get at their local hospital, yet the fact we are unable to offer them a scan on site far from ideal.
“Bringing an MRI to our hospital will create more capacity to scan our patients, but most importantly, it will help to provide answers many of our women and families are agonisingly waiting for and provide our teams with the information they need to create the best treatment plans.”
The £1.5m MRI Appeal is the latest in a series of charitably funded projects at this hospital. In the last five years the charity has delivered the £3m Woodland House Appeal which created a purpose-built bereavement centre for families who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss – the first of its kind in a hospital setting in the UK. It also supported the NHS’s first simulation suite dedicated to maternal and neonatal health at the hospital, thanks to a phenomenal £1million donation from high street fashion entrepreneur George Davies via the George Davies Charitable Trust.
Helen Miles, head of partnerships and major donors at Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’re proud to support the hospital as a clinical centre of excellence in women’s health. Our aim as a charity is to always strive to improve the experiences of all patients and the MRI Appeal is the latest project which will do just that.
“We’re so grateful to The Lounge Foundation for believing in the appeal and wanting to support our patients in this way. The £500,000 gift is simply incredible. We now need other like-minded businesses, organisations and the public to support us in reaching our target.”
Melanie Marsden, Trustee of The Lounge Foundation, said: “This project represents far more than an investment in equipment; it’s an investment in the health and future of thousands of women, babies and families.
“At The Lounge Foundation, we’re committed to backing initiatives that create meaningful, lasting impact. We are incredibly proud to play a leading role in bringing Birmingham Women’s Hospital’s first-ever MRI scanner to life, helping patients receive faster answers, earlier treatment and better outcomes when it matters most.”
To accommodate the MRI scanner, the hospital will expand the footprint of its ground floor and create a dedicated MRI suite. The new suite will include the latest model MRI scanner, a control room and reporting room for scans to be analysed. To support the MRI service, a new waiting room and lobby, plus changing facilities, will also be built.
Work is due to start on the build of the MRI suite in autumn 2026 and will be completed by April 2027.
To find out more about the £1.5m MRI Appeal or donate, please visit: bwh.org.uk/mri