The Brooksby Room opens at Community Diagnostic Centre

A specialist cardiac MRI room has been formally dedicated in memory of former NNUH Medical Director Iain Brooksby.

Family, friends and cardiology colleagues gathered at the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) on 2 October for a dedication ceremony and to see the cardiac MRI, which was funded following fundraising by the Norfolk Heart Trust (NHT) and support from the N&N Hospitals Charity.

Dr Brooksby was a Consultant Cardiologist who served as Medical Director for a decade, which included the time when the hospital moved from the old N&N on St Stephen’s in Norwich to Colney Lane in 2001. He was Chairman of the Norfolk Heart Trust following his retirement in 2009 and sadly died in 2021 before the start of the Miracle Magnets 4 Hearts Appeal.

Leisa Freeman, who is the current Chair of Norfolk Heart Trust, described him as the first cardiologist of the modern era at NNUH and his legacy would live on with formal naming of the Brooksby Room. He was a cardiologist at NNUH for more than 25 years and was known for his leadership, kindness, integrity and good humour.

Tim Gilbert, Consultant Cardiologist, added: “We are really indebted to the Norfolk Heart Trust and N&N Hospitals Charity to have this incredible imaging technology. We have a huge population of patients in Norfolk with cardiac conditions and we are very privileged to have a machine almost entirely for use in the field of cardiology.”

As part of the ceremony, the cardiology team demonstrated some of the cardiac MRI advancements, thanks to the clinical and scientific work taking place in Norwich.

Pankaj Garg, Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Imaging at the University of East Anglia, added that the new technology was delivering “out of this world” imaging to help diagnose and manage a range of cardiac conditions.

The CDC opened next to the Quadram Institute on Norwich Research Park in February 2025 and offers Ultrasound, X-ray, CT and MRI scanning to hundreds of patients a day.

Rachel Backshall, Charity Director for the N&N Hospitals Charity, said: “It is fantastic to see how the very generous support of the public has led to having cutting-edge cardiac imaging in Norfolk, which is improving patient care. We are very grateful to all our donors and supporters who have made it possible for the Charity to contribute £1.6 million to the CDC.”