Thought leaders set out recommendations to improve radiology delivery and cut waits

A group of NHS and healthcare leaders have called improving the productivity of radiology services ‘mission critical’ for the NHS if it is to achieve its targets for cutting waiting lists. At an event hosted by the Hexarad Thought Leadership Institute (HTLI) in London the panel made a number of key recommendations to address the current crisis in radiology. Among them were: radiology networks need to be empowered with clear mandates such as deploying staff across the network, procuring large contracts, addressing unwarranted clinical variability, providing out-of-hours services and promoting recruitment; creating and promoting exemplar networks to demonstrate best practice; ensuring that employment contracts for staff reflect the move towards network working and staff should be contracted to work for a network rather than a hospital, which may mean networks need to be statutory bodies.

The panel also called for investment in technology to streamline workforce planning, rostering, supply and demand management and business intelligence in departments.

HTLI is a healthcare innovation catalyst bringing together clinicians and NHS decision makers to develop solutions to the challenges facing radiology, and to prompt policymakers, national directors and local leaders to take appropriate action. It has published the paper Improving Productivity in Radiology Services, which synthesises the conclusions of a roundtable discussion held last year, with participants including former chief executive of the NHS Confederation Mike Farrar and medical director of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Professor Erika Denton.

Radiologist and health strategy and policy expert Dr Farzana Rahman, a co-author of the paper, said: “Radiology productivity must be a priority if the NHS is to be put onto a sustainable footing for the decade ahead. Diagnostic capacity and outpatient activity are major bottlenecks in the smooth and timely flow of patients through most pathways of care in the NHS.”

Picture: Former chief executive of the NHS Confederation Mike Farrar leads discussion with participants.

Published on page 18 of the January 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.