My Freedom of Information request has revealed that 1,328 MRI and CT scans were carried out at Minehead Community Hospital between August and March. That is 166 scans every single month — real patients, most of them elderly, many without cars, who would otherwise face a 50-mile round trip to Taunton.
Sign my letter to Somerset NHS
Dear Peter Lewis,
Your own data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, confirms that 1,328 diagnostic scans were performed at Minehead Community Hospital between August 2025 and March 2026. That is 166 scans every month serving patients who would otherwise face a 50-mile round trip to Taunton.
Despite this demand, no Equality Impact Assessment and no Quality Impact Assessment were conducted before the decision to remove the scanners. No travel modelling was carried out. No waiting time comparison was provided.
West Somerset has an ageing population, limited public transport, and some of the longest travel times to acute services in the county. For many patients, a scan at Minehead is the difference between accessible healthcare and not attending at all.
I urge the Trust to reverse this decision, retain diagnostic scanning at Minehead Community Hospital, and conduct a proper impact assessment before any further changes are made.
Yours sincerely,
James Wright
