Thanks to a donation of over £20,000 from Yorkshire Children’s Hospital Fund, we’ve installed a brand-new MRI entertainment system at Leeds Cancer Centre, to help distract young patients during examination.

Having a MRI scan can be very distressing for young children, and often staff have to use general anaesthetic to send a child to sleep so they lie still.

The new entertainment system means that instead of sedation, children have a welcome distraction from treatment. Now, they can watch their favourite movies and TV shows on platforms like Disney+ and Netflix.

9-year-old Freddie has Alagille Syndrome, a rare and chronic disease which affects his liver and heart. Freddie has been treated at Leeds Children’s Hospital since he was born and has had many MRI scans over the years.

Freddie’s mum Emma often finds it hard to settle him down for scans and treatment, but said the new entertainment system made a big difference:

“The TV really helped distract Freddie from his MRI procedure, and it makes the whole room feel a lot more child-friendly and less clinical.”

Freddie was thrilled that he could watch Pup Academy, one of his favourite TV series:

“Sometimes I get nervous to have a scan, but I really liked the TV, it helped distract and calm me down.”

From the moment a child is moved into the scanner, the point where they feel most anxious, through to the end of their examination, the system helps keep young patients' minds off the treatment.