A new £1.5m MRI scanner has been opened at a private hospital in Norwich.

Eastern Daily Press: Mr Adrian Chojnowski, Orthopaedic surgeon and Medical Advisory Committee Chairman at Spire Norwich Hospital opened the MRI unit. Photo: SpireMr Adrian Chojnowski, Orthopaedic surgeon and Medical Advisory Committee Chairman at Spire Norwich Hospital opened the MRI unit. Photo: Spire (Image: Spire)

The new scanner, which is said to be the first truly digital MR system on the market, has been in place at the Spire Hospital, in Old Watton Road for a number of months but has now been officially opened.

Radiology manager Vicki Tinkler said the new machine used new technology to help patients relax by being immersed in a viewing experience while they are in the tunnel.

She said: 'As well as this it's an improved image quality and scanning time is shorter. It's very much different for patients who are anxious, when you are in the tunnel there's a mirror system which shows a 60in TV. It's made to be calming.'

She said many people struggled with MRI scans because of the claustrophobic feeling and the fact they needed to stay still for a long time.

'But feedback had been really, really positive,' she said. 'Patients are finding it a lot more comfortable.'