RADIOLOGY
Transforming radiology services
Investment in the latest radiology technologies is important to support pioneering treatments, while ageing equipment also exposes patients to higher levels of radiation. Trusts are now turning to managed equipment services to overhaul ageing radiology services, increasing the reliability and efficiency of their radiology departments.
In November 2019, NHS England and NHS Improvement published its national strategy for imaging networks.1
The report highlighted
challenges with the age of imaging capital equipment being utilised in England, with a significant proportion of CT, MRI and general X-ray equipment being older than 10 years old. OECD data and two recent national data collections have highlighted the fact that the asset base needs updating with at least 14% of CT and 34% of MRI being 10 years or older. The UK also ranks poorly when compared to other international countries. The guidance of the Royal College
of Radiologists (RCR) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) has previously advised that capital equipment replacement should be around 10 years. Beyond this age, equipment is less efficient and prone to breakdown, and the radiation dosage is likely to be higher than for similar newer equipment. However, current guidance from the Biomedical Engineering Advisory Group (BEAG) recommends such equipment should be replaced at seven years – it notes that capital equipment, such as CT scanners, are now routinely used for extended days. Increasing demands to provide services over seven days means that these assets are
likely to be used more than equipment in previous decades. In view of this, Trusts are looking at different strategies for funding and managing radiology equipment. Faced with ageing technology, the Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust needed to overhaul its radiology services.
In 2017, a 10-year partnership managed equipment service (MES) deal was signed between Althea and Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Musgrove Park Hospital. Two years in, Musgrove Park has seen a massive overhaul and change in its radiology service. The department has had a total redesign to help improve its clinical services, making an improvement to staff workflow and patient experience. Althea immediately assigned a dedicated
service manager to work with the Hospital team, explained David Rolfe, CEO of Althea UK and Ireland:
“Understanding requirements on the
ground, and working closely with clinical staff, is key. Existing equipment is immediately covered by the Customer Care Centre (CCC), providing 24/7 specialist call handlers to manage any breakdowns that occur. A specialist technology team then came in to manage the equipment replacements.”
With a larger demand on our imaging services, it is reassuring that our existing equipment has all been refreshed as it means we can continue to keep up with new radiological techniques.
AUGUST 2020 Samsung x-ray room
An equipment replacement plan was agreed with the Trust to manage which assets were to be replaced and when, allowing the department to keep running an efficient clinical service, with minimal disruption. A lot of the Musgrove Park equipment was nearing obsolescence or beyond recommended service life, which created concerns surrounding equipment performance and reliability.
The contract gave the overall decision in equipment selection to the clinical team, supported by vendor-independent information, analysis and advice from Althea’s technologists.
The first set of equipment to be replaced at the hospital was x-ray. This modality includes x-ray systems based in the main department, used with a large range of patients, from those within the hospital (inpatients), to outpatient appointments and GP walk-ins.
The ageing x-ray rooms were replaced
with state-of-the-art Samsung GC85 top of the range x-ray systems, with full automation and image stitching. The automation of the machines will improve patient through-put and also improve the manual handling
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