AXREM calls on NHS to draw from expertise of members

AXREM has published its Strategic Priorities 2025-27, One NHS…One Healthcare, document and is calling upon the NHS and government to engage with the healthcare industry and utilise its available expertise.

The release was marked by a parliamentary reception at the Palace of Westminster, which was attended by 200 members, as well as key stakeholders from the community and cross-party parliamentarians. The event was opened with a keynote speech from Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) Baroness Merron, who spoke about the Government’s ambitions around some of the pillars of AXREM’s Strategic Priorities and the pledge to double scanner capacity during its term.

MP Tim Farron, who sponsored the event, spoke about the challenges his constituents face in accessing radiotherapy and cancer treatments, and the work he has been doing with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy and Radiotherapy UK to tackle this.

The speeches ended with AXREM chair and head of government affairs/ independent sector at Philips Jeevan Gunaratnam having a fireside chat with president of the European Society of Radiology Professor Andrea Rockall, who is Imperial College London clinical chair of radiology and honorary consultant radiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Marsden Hospital, London. They spoke about ECR 2025 and the sustainability theme, with Professor Rockall giving examples of work that has been done at Imperial College.

They also spoke about the many challenges facing today’s NHS, how the industry works together to increase early diagnosis and improved outcomes and about what sets the NHS apart from other health systems around the world.

Among its suggestions, AXREM is calling upon the NHS to: draw from the expertise of its members to help shape policies and priorities to deliver the best patient outcomes, especially in diagnostics and therapeutics as this has a direct impact on waiting times and patient outcomes; work with industry to understand all the touchpoints within their organisation, how these interconnected systems manage workflows and specifically how these affect patient care; engage with industry on the development of a pragmatic and cost effective approach to product carbon footprinting, that can be applied by small and large MedTech device manufacturers; and appoint an NHS cyber security minister to be part of the UK defence to ensure NHS and patient data is prepared for threats and cyber attacks.

Picture: AXREM vice chair and strategic and government relationship manager at Fujifilm Healthcare UK Huw Shurmer, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Baroness Merron, AXREM ceo Sally Edgington and AXREM chair Jeevan Gunaratnam.

Published on page 11 of the October 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.