A MOBILE scanner is to be used to treat patients at the Royal Bolton Hospital - despite its own permanent £700,000 hi-tech machine frequently lying idle.

The mobile whole body MRI scanner, which is used to detect cancers and back problems, will be housed in a lorry parked in the hospital grounds. But while the mobile unit is being used OUTSIDE, the hospital's permanent scanner could well be standing idle INSIDE.

The situation was today branded crazy by a Bolton MP.

The hospital says it cannot afford to pay consultants to use its own scanner for more than six half-sessions a week.

The mobile scanner, which visits hospitals throughout Greater Manchester, is paid for by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority with one-off funds from the Department of Health. It costs £150,000 a year to bring the £5 million mobile unit to Bolton and it will be used to cut an 18-month waiting list.

There are 697 patients waiting for a whole-body scan, 78 of whom have been on the list for more than 12 months

The hospital's own scanner was partly paid for by Lottery New Opportunities funding, but it was not given any extra money once it had been bought.

Apart from a shortage of money to pay consultants, the Royal Bolton Hospital is also affected by a national shortage of radiologists to read the scan results.

It was revealed earlier this year that Bolton is one of five hospitals in the UK where patients have to wait 12 months or more for MRI scans.

Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton South East, said: "It seems we are pouring good money after bad. It sounds crazy.

"The hospital bosses should write to us about their concerns and we'll do our best to help."

David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East, said: "It's an issue of great concern. The real solution is to staff up the scanner sitting in our own hospital."

Cllr Bob Ronson, Bolton Council's executive member for health, said: "I find this rather strange that the money is available to staff a mobile scanner but not to staff the one in our own hospital."

A hospital spokesman said: "Unfortunately, we have not received enough funding to maximise the use of our MRI scanner and, although urgent cases are seen quickly, for some patients there are waits of up to 17 or 18 months.

"While we would prefer to have the funding to use our own MRI scanner to full capacity, the mobile units are a good solution to those patients waiting for scans across Greater Manchester. "

Dr Adrian Dixon, of the Royal College of Radiologists in London, said: "It does seem curious to do what Bolton is doing. Bringing in a mobile scanner while the main machine is lying idle for the want of money to run it is odd."