The scanner is part of a £7million investment in radiology equipment by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH). It is expected to go live in December.

Councillor Andy Burford, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for health said: “I am delighted at this long promised investment into our hospital which we have been pushing for a long time. I am pleased that SaTH has made good on its commitments. The current scanner in Telford is prone to failure which means patients have to go to Shrewsbury.

“We have been working very closely with SaTH on practical measures to help the Princess Royal Hospital and, in turn, our population served by it. Such work includes the continuing refurbishment of accommodation on the hospital’s grounds to help recruit more junior and middle grade doctors.

“We and the hospital trust are doing what we can, yet the future of our hospital still hangs in the balance. We earlier formally referred plans to reconfigure hospital services, known as ‘Future Fit’ to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The plans threaten Telford’s 24/7 A&E and consultant-led Women and Children’s Centre.

“Matt Hancock MP has all the evidence he needs to make a decision on the matter and we again call on him to make that decision and end the uncertainty.”