A major £1.5million donation to The Archie Foundation from an Aberdeen family has secured an MRI scanner for the new NHS Grampian Baird Family Hospital.
The generous funding has come from the Suttie family, well-known philanthropists in the city who have supported numerous projects, including the Suttie Centre for Teaching and Learning in Healthcare.
Businessman Ian Suttie died last October at the age of 80, but his wife Dorothy and children Julia, Fiona and Martin have continued to honour his legacy through charitable gifts.
The Archie Foundation will use the donation for the latest MRI scanner, which uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed 3D and 2D images of the inside of the body.
The scanner will be housed in The Baird Family Hospital, which is nearing completion on the Foresterhill Health Campus next to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and is expected to open in late 2027.
For the first time in NHS Grampian’s history, maternity, neonatal, gynaecology, breast screening and breast surgery services will all be under one roof, along with a centre for reproductive medicine, an operating theatre suite and cutting-edge research and teaching facilities led by the University of Aberdeen.
As well as the MRI scanner, The Archie Foundation is raising an additional £2million towards funding the finishing touches and additional specialist equipment which will make a huge difference and contribute towards transforming the clinically state of the art hospital into a world-class facility.
Paula Cormack, chief executive of the Archie Foundation, said it was extremely grateful to the Suttie family.
“We are incredibly grateful to Dorothy Suttie and her family, who are continuing to honour Ian’s legacy through philanthropic donations such as the new MRI scanner. This non-invasive technology will be used for imaging soft tissues like the brain, spinal cord, muscles and organs and is an important diagnostic tool for medical teams.
“As well as adults, babies at the Baird Family Hospital and young patients attending Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital will benefit from the new scanner in the Baird, which is set to be a world-class resource for the North of Scotland.
“Archie has already raised £1.6million towards our target of £2million to deliver the difference for babies and families at the new hospital. We are focused on raising the final £400,000 as well as our ongoing fundraising to help children and their families here in Aberdeen, Tayside and the Highlands and Islands.”
The money being raised by Archie will enhance the clinical services provided by NHS Grampian to make hospital stays more comfortable and easier for premature and sick babies and their families, including the provision of financial grants and accommodation.
Dr Natasha Rose, Consultant Radiologist, Unit Clinical Director Radiology for NHS Grampian, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for this generous donation, which will be of great benefit to many patients.
“MRI is a vital tool in investigation and assessment for an increasing number of patients and it is welcome to see this importance recognised. The addition of an MRI scanner in the Baird is an asset which will assist in the care of both inpatients and outpatients on the Foresterhill campus.
“We’re excited for the hospital to open its doors with all it has to offer both staff and patients, and this donation contributes further towards that.”
Other charity partners include Friends of ANCHOR, which is raising money for The ANCHOR Centre for cancer and haematology patients, as well as for oncological breast and gynaecology patients at the Baird; and The University of Aberdeen, which has fundraised to expand and accelerate research.
Dorothy Suttie said her family was proud to support such a worthwhile cause.
“We are pleased to be able to make this donation to The Archie Foundation for the MRI scanner at the new Baird Family Hospital, as a legacy gift from Ian,” she said. “Healthcare has been an area of particular importance to us and Ian would have wholeheartedly approved of this donation. We look forward to seeing clinical care and excellence in research combining in this modern, new, family-focused facility.”
Archie was set up in 2000 to transform experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for babies, children and their families across the north of Scotland.
The Archie Foundation has helped children and families across the north of Scotland for more than 25 years, funding specialist roles and projects at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and, more recently, at the Highland Children’s Unit, Tayside Children’s Hospital and Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin.
For further information on the project or how you can get involved in fundraising, please contact hello@archie.org or visit https://archie.org/baird-family-hospital-appeal/