The National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) is pleased to see the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report on Radiology published this week. The report examines ways of meeting the ever-increasing demand on radiology units in England at the same time as shaping a better service for those who use it.
It highlights that during the pandemic, trusts adapted quickly to enable separate scanning for patients with proven or suspected coronavirus. This separation can now be developed to create sites for ‘hot’ urgent work and ‘cold’ pre-booked appointments to help prevent last-minute cancellations and allow patients to receive all the imaging they need in a single visit, close to their homes.Other patient-centred measures outlined in the report include:
- Online booking and extended hours for outpatient appointments to ensure imaging can be arranged to suit the patient, helping to reduce non-attendance.
- Dedicated day case units or beds for patients having interventional radiology procedures, to help prevent delays and hospital-acquired infections, and free up beds elsewhere.
- Delivering faster results by increasing the amount of reporting carried out at home by radiologists and reporting radiographers.
- Reducing the stress of delays by using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support scheduling, prioritisation and, in due course, some aspects of image interpretation.
“Radiology is vital to delivering good orthopaedic care, and this report from GIRFT is welcomed by the NOA and its members.” said Ann Hoey, Deputy Director at the NOA
You can read more and download the follow-up report on the GIRFT website here.