WIREDGOV

A unique medical training facility opened recently at the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire. It is set to give hundreds of trainee medical physicists some vital hands-on experience with state-of-the-art medical scanners, and so in future offer better diagnostic services to patients.

The new Medical Training and Research Laboratory (MTRL) will house a SPECT/CT scanner that will allow students to receive a first-class training experience away from the daily pressures of the hospital environment, where there is often a long wait for access to such in-demand scanning equipment. It is a joint initiative between the University of Liverpool, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC),

“This new facility will bring immense benefits for the trainee medical physicists and patients alike,” said STFC’s Ian Lazarus, who leads the MTRL project team. “Scanners are used to show doctors exactly where to find tumours, how efficiently our hearts are working or what is happening in our brains – for instance, whether a patient’s symptoms are caused by Parkinson’s disease, or another condition with similar symptoms. The MTRL is dedicated to teaching and research and students who train here will have allocated blocks of time to use the SPECT/CT, so will gain knowledge and skills in a much shorter timescale.”

SPECT/CT scanners produce a 3D map of a patient’s body so can be a key element in patient diagnosis, and hands-on experience provides medical physicists with a huge advantage. The MTRL will remove the constraints of training in a busy hospital. It will also benefit scientists, by allowing researchers to explore potential ways to improve medical imaging scanners with new technologies.

Dr Melvyn Carroll from the Royal University Hospital Liverpool said, ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to receive hands-on training during their MSc. The laboratory provides top class facilities and expertise, allowing our students to receive the training they need to fulfil their careers.’

In the future the MTRL hopes to welcome students from more institutions, as well as researchers wishing to improve medical imaging for the benefit of NHS patients.

The laboratory that houses the scanner has been completely refurbished and provided with equipment with funding from STFC. The vital scanning equipment was bought and installed by the University of Liverpool.

More information

• Jane Binks 
  STFC External Communications
  Daresbury Laboratory
  Tel: 01925 603235
  Mob: 07825 861436
   
• Marion O’Sullivan 
  STFC Press Office
  Tel: 01235 445627
  Mob: 07824 888990

Notes for editors

1. An image of the SPECT/CT scanner is available – contact the STFC press office on 01235 445627 or 01793 442870.
    
2. The Medical Training and Research Laboratory is dedicated to teaching and research. It was born from the need to provide hands-on training for students from the NHS Scientist Training Programme MSc course in Clinical Science (Medical Physics) taught by the University of Liverpool.
    
3. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest and busiest hospital trusts in the North of England, with an annual budget exceeding £400 million. It delivers services across two sites and three hospitals, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Liverpool University Dental Hospital, and employs more than 5,500 people.
   
   Each year the Trust sees more than half a million people in its outpatient department and deals with around 150,000 emergency patients and day case admissions. It is one of the top teaching trusts in the UK with well-established links to the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and international institutions. In 2013 work began on a new state of the art Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
    
4. The University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research institutions with an annual turnover of £435 million, including £114 million for research. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the Russell Group. Follow us on twitter.