Innovative collaboration improves radiology services for patients in Scotland

A first for NHSScotland, the unique service combines innovative technology and existing capacity to allow Consultant Radiologists to remotely report on diagnostic images from anywhere in the country.

The year-long pilot has proven that a safe and efficient service could be created and delivered nationally within NHSScotland.   

NHS Golden Jubilee collaborated with NHS National Services Scotland to provide the essential services and facilities needed to make it a success.

This included the deployment of Share+, an innovative cross-Board radiology reporting solution, creation of a dynamic service implementation team, recruitment of Consultant Radiologists to join the bank, and the rollout of home workstations.

Since July 2020, the service has:

• recruited 69 Consultant Radiologists,
• reported over 105,000 patient exams for 11 NHS boards,
• delivered 99% of reports within 5 working days

Lynne Ayton, Director of the Heart, Lung and Diagnostic Division at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “NHS Golden Jubilee was delighted to host the Scottish National Radiology Reporting Bank pilot and to now be the permanent home to the service.

“The pilot has rigorously tested the concept that this in-sourcing solution can be managed for NHSScotland through working collaboratively with Boards, Radiologists and third party suppliers to provide a cross boundary solution that benefits both patients and health boards. The collaboration of health boards has provided a cohesive approach to improving radiology reporting to enable equitable care.  

“The data collected to date demonstrates that this new national service will ensure that patients receive their radiology reports as quickly as possible, both aiding timely diagnosis and therefore access to treatment as early as possible, leading to the potential for significantly improved outcomes.

“Moving forward we are looking to expand the service by growing reporting capacity and exploring new ways to increase cross-board reporting, thus maximising the service provision for patients across the country.”

Feedback from Boards has been extremely positive in terms of the speed of communication and the quality of reports.

Shalini Datta, the Scottish National Radiology Reporting Service (SNRRS) Clinical Lead said: “The SNRRS is the first national network of its kind in the UK. For the patients, it has provided benefits with fast turnaround times and accurate reports. For the Radiologists in Scotland, it has provided flexible working opportunities. The strength of the network has been tested during a pandemic, proving that the network is not only resilient but can now provide the foundations necessary for further development and expansion.“

Jill Patte, Programme Director for the Scottish Radiology Transformation Programme at NHS National Services Scotland, said: “The radiology reporting bank pilot has proven to be a resounding success.

“Sourcing reporters from the existing NHSScotland workforce and giving them the ability to report on patient examinations and access previous patient exams from home has allowed more flexibility and a higher volume of quality reporting to be achieved.

“Key to the pilot’s success has been the passion and dedication of everyone involved. The team has delivered outstanding results in spite of, and in response to, the COVID-19 pandemic, proactively adapting to support the constantly changing needs of the pilot.

“Radiology in Scotland is now better positioned to recover from the pandemic, respond to future challenges and improve the service we offer to patients in all areas. We hope that this model might be used as a blueprint for other NHSScotland services looking to transform and improve their delivery in the future.”   

Bob Childe, Sales and Commercial Manager at Soliton IT, said: “Soliton Share+ was born and developed working in partnership with NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS National Services Scotland, to meet the workflow requirements of an integrated Radiology sharing solution. The success of this pilot led to the award of our first National contract for the Scottish National Radiology Reporting Service (SNRRS) and we are delighted with the results to date and look forward to working with all parties to grow the solution further for the NHS in Scotland.” 

 

ENDS