SERIOUS ill children treated at Southampton's biggest hospital are set to have their experiences transformed thanks to a new MRI suite.

Thanks to a major fundraising campaign, millions of pounds needed to build and equip the new suite at Southampton Children's Hospital have been successfully secured and the scanner is set to be installed later this year.

The hospital will be one of only a small number of specialist children’s hospitals in the UK with this state-of-the-art equipment, which will cement its position as a centre of excellence for paediatric neurosurgery - procedures in children relating to the nervous system, brain and spinal cord.

The suite will give children from across the south of England access to the best possible treatment and will provide immediate reassurance for their anxious families that surgery has been successful.

The iMRI enables surgeons to get real-time images of their patients’ brain during surgery, giving them a greater chance of successfully removing tumours in a single operation – currently, nearly half of all children need between two and four operations.

Crucially, this gives more children the chance of survival.

The fundraising campaign was led by he Murray Parish Trust (TMPT), working in partnership with Southampton Children's Hospital.

Actors Sarah Parish and Jim Murray founded the Murray Parish Trust to support the advancement of paediatric emergency medicine across the south of England.

They said: "Sadly, Southampton Children's Hospital treats hundreds of children undergoing brain surgery each year and 80% of the cases are emergency admissions, so time is of the essence.

“The iMRI suite will allow our surgeons to give them immediate access to the leading technology here in the south, giving them the best chance of survival and recovery.”

The new equipment will be installed in early summer, with the first operations expected to take place soon after.

Paul Grundy, chief medical officer and consultant neurosurgeon at University Hospital Southampton, said: “We are delighted to be receiving an iMRI scanner which will transform children’s surgery by giving us the ability to scan as we go during procedures, not only saving time but ultimately improving outcomes for our young patients.

“This investment in state-of-the-art facilities further cements the reputation of Southampton Children's Hospital as a centre of excellence and we are incredibly grateful to the Murray Parish Trust, for its tireless fundraising efforts and continued support.”