MRI

YES, for certain areas of study, you do need a referral from a GP or consultant. There are some areas of study that can be done with a self-referral, which require limited clinical indications. The process of self referring will be explained in detail be a member of our private admin team upon enquiry.

If you are insured, you can enquire with your provider if they cover MRI scans at our clinic.

If you are self funding, we accept payment via bank transfer, payment over the phone or payment upon arrival of your scan.

Most areas of study require little preparation; a safety questionnaire will be done with you when booking your appointment, and again by a clinical professional just before your scan. This is to ensure you are safe to proceed with the scan.

An MRI-safe leaflet will also be provided to you after completing your booking, this entails what is and isn’t allowed for the scan (for example, metal jewellery needs to be removed).

With the exception of contrasted and certain gynaecological/abdominal studies, there are no eating/drinking restrictions.

Being nervous for any medical scan is completely normal. What an MRI scan can assure you is a pain free experience that is aided by our highly qualified and compassionate Radiographers, who will be with you every step of the way.

MRI scanners use magnets and radio-waves which can be quite loud, this is why you are provided with mandatory ear plugs and headphones, which can play the radio if needed. Contrasted scans can vary from this slightly.

Actual scan times depend on two things; the number of studies and type of studies. Typically, single areas such as a lumbar spine or knee scan, can take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete. More accurate estimates will be given to you by a radiographer right before your scan.

When your scan is complete, you will not be required to wait (unless you had a contrasted scan done, in which case you will need to wait to be observed for a short period of time).

Your images will then be reported on by one of our Radiologist consultants and then the report will be sent to your referrer, we aim for this to be done within 48 hours.

The images from your scan can be made available to you through our dedicated Patient Portal. This is an easy to set up Portal that will give you access to images from all previous and any future scans you may have.

These images are downloadable and can be shared with whomever you choose. The set-up process can be facilitated by a member of reception after your scan, or a member of our private admin team, upon request.

If you require a copy of the Radiologist’s report of those images; you will have to obtain this from the referrer unless you have self-referred. If you have self referred, your report is sent to both you and your GP within 48 hours. More details on how and why will be explained further to you if needed.

All fees are built into the fixed price per area; there are no hidden costs. For example, a single area scan(not contrasted), will cost £420. This is the total cost to you for the scan, report and image access (through Patient Portal) only.