Professor Clive Kay receives BIR memorial award at annual congress

The British Institute of Radiology has presented the BIR/Canon Mayneord Award to King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Professor Clive Kay. Professor Kay went on to deliver a talk titled ‘Integrated care – reasons to be cheerful and reasons to be watchful’ at the BIR Annual Congress in November. This theme reflected the overall theme of the congress this year of working together to achieve excellence.

The BIR/Canon Mayneord Memorial Lecture is an annual award made to an individual or a group of collaborators in recognition of recent or current contributions in the expanding field of radiology.

A gastrointestinal radiologist by background, Professor Kay outlined the challenges and reasons to be positive about how to implement an integrated care system in the UK. Integrated care systems are partnerships between organisations and services to improve population health and reduce inequalities between different groups.

He gave six ‘reasons to be cheerful’ about how the integrated care systems could be successfully implemented. Looking at examples from around the world, he cited the concept of giving providers control over a finite budget rather than being contracted in a fragmented way. He said investment in early diagnostics and technical efficiencies is essential; wider use of data to target those most needed; a focus on culture, behaviour and clinical collaboration rather than finance and governance; more clinicians in senior leadership positions; and long term thinking focusing on outcomes not just activities are all required.

However, Professor Kay also warned against the misconception that integrated care systems are a commissioning group. He said the focus should be on wider collaboration that will reduce unwanted variation in clinical practice, more access to services for all and more efficient and effective corporate and clinical support services. He also pointed to the ability to manage demand and to alleviate workforce issues such as training and skilling staff, leading to better retention and recruitment. Other benefits include greater resilience and better deployment of staff in areas into which it is hard to recruit.

There are some examples of poor collaboration and poor decision making that have prevented a positive culture within organisations. He warned of the burden of over-regulation which doesn’t always work, or a ‘one size fits all’ approach. He cited the Richards Report and Getting it Right First Time as examples of pivotal work that can spearhead reform.

Canon Medical Systems UK sponsors this award recognising values, skills and contributions at the forefront of medical imaging. The lecture is available for everyone who registered for the event in the online learning library on the BIR website.

Picture: Professor Clive Kay talked about integrated care.

Published on page 4 of the December 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.