Freemasons give portable brain scanner gift to Royal London Hospital

A portable state-of-the-art brain scanner has been donated to the Royal London Hospital at Whitchapel by London’s Freemasons.

The £500,000 machine is only one of three in Britain which is helping treat critically ill patients, providing view of internal body structure to aid diagnosis and treatment for head injuries.

“There are risks with patients having to be transferred to a static scanner,” said consultant Dr Vishwajit Verma. “This portable machine means the patient remains in bed while the scanner is manoeuvred around their head.

“It can also help guide surgeons during difficult operations, such as removing brain tumours.”

Patients with suspected brain injuries need scans to monitor their progress and to enable clinicians to make a definitive diagnosis if a patient deteriorates or has unexplained symptoms.

The London Freemasons’ last two charitable projects have raised £3 million for Barts NHS trust alone, which has one of the largest trauma centres in the country and treats head injury patients from all over the South East.