Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust goes live with Agfa DR 600 in its Pendleton Gateway satellite medical centre

The DR 600 was chosen for its radiographer-centred design, ease of use, low dose, and Musica image processing that supports ‘first time right’ imaging.

In May 2023, the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, in Greater Manchester, went live with the Agfa DR 600 direct radiography (DR) room in the Pendleton Gateway Medical Centre located in Salford. The state-of-the-art DR 600 was selected for its radiographer-centred design that delivers ease of use, and its excellent image quality with a ‘first-time-right’ imaging approach.

Rachael Warham, clinical service lead Rradiographer, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, explains “Pendleton Gateway is a satellite site, which allows us to offer patients the opportunity to have their x-rays carried out closer to home. The Agfa DR 600 will help us to improve our service and the quality of x-rays we produce. The more efficient our services become, the more Pendleton Gateway can reduce the radiography workload of the main sites, and help keep waiting times down for patients. Furthermore, Agfa has a good reputation for completing projects on time and they offered a competitive price.”

Ease-of-use and ‘first-time-right’ imaging
The DR 600 is a high-productivity, fully automatic, ceiling-suspended, direct radiography x-ray room that streamlines workflow, increases throughput and supports diagnostic confidence. This makes it ideal for a busy care environment such as the Pendleton Gateway walk-in medical centre, which alleviates the workload at the trust’s four main hospitals, by taking on some of the routine x-ray exams, such as x-ray services for GP patients, the trust’s musculoskeletal clinical assessment and treatment service, and follow-up x-rays from clinics.

Like all of Agfa’s DR systems, the DR 600 is powered by Musica, with a single, intuitive user interface for smooth, efficient DR imaging. Agfa’s latest generation, gold-standard Musica image processing software provides ‘first time right’ imaging, reducing retakes and supporting ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles for radiation dose.

Low dose and fast, accurate diagnosis
“We are delighted that the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust chose the DR 600 to replace their previous x-ray system, for all radiography exams carried out at its Pendleton Gateway satellite site. With the DR 600, both staff and patients can be sure of low radiation dose and excellent image quality, supporting fast, accurate diagnosis,” says Martin Tew, sales director Europe North for Agfa Radiology Solutions.

The DR 600 at a glance

• The fully automated DR 600 will enable the Pendleton Gateway walk-in clinic to enhance its service to patients and take on more of the x-ray workload of the main trust sites
• The high performing ceiling-suspended DR 600 maximizes productivity and throughput, with an enhanced experience for patients and operators
• Musica supports superior ‘first-time-right’ imaging, reducing retakes and supporting ALARA principles for radiation dose

Picture: Staff at the Pendleton Medical Centre, pictured with David Wright, key account manager Agfa Radiology Solutions, after completing their training on the recently installed fully automatic DR 600 x-ray room, and now prepared to welcome patients on the new system.

This news story has been sponsored by the companies concerned and does not represent the views or opinions of RAD Magazine.