5th January 2008
"Patients and colleagues are seeing significant benefit"
NHS patients all over Britain are benefiting from a new high-tech diagnostic service – based in a family home near Stowmarket.
Dr. Simon Smith, a local NHS consultant radiologist, has converted a room of his house in rural Stonham Aspal so that he can receive medical scans from around the country and provide expert diagnosis.
He is using equipment installed by the London-based Medica Group who run the UK’s largest remote radiology reporting network. The system, known as teleradiology, allows traditionally hospital-based consultants to work from home - and the impact is proving significant.
This highly innovative approach is helping hospitals to counter the national shortage of radiologists. It is also creating a positive environmental impact with leading medical experts able to reduce the number of times they have to commute to and from their hospital base. The clinical advantages are also considerable.
With pressure growing on the National Health Service (NHS) to hit 18 week targets - targets likely to be reduced even further over the coming months - waiting lists are critical in the assessment of all NHS Trust’s performance. Radiology proves no exception.
Having witnessed the substantial benefits of this new approach to assessing a patient’s condition, Dr. Smith said:
“This really is a dramatic and extremely impressive advance in the provision of health services and healthcare in general. As well as routine scans we operate a service known as ‘Nighthawk’ which provides out-of-hours cover.
“For example, a scan of a patient attending an Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit can be sent immediately to me. The subsequent assessment can be back with the Unit within the hour. Such rapid and effective diagnosis is of obvious advantage to the patient involved and the medical team at the A&E Unit.”
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When on ‘Nighthawk’ duty, Dr. Smith regularly finds himself helping patients at hospitals all over the country, as far away as Cornwall.
Dr. Smith, aged 40, is married to Louise, a cancer information nurse who works at The Ipswich Hospital. The couple have three young daughters aged three, six and eight.
“From a personal point of view I can now work from my home office at times to suit myself, whether it be evenings or weekends, and with fewer interruptions. Not only is this favourable to individual consultants but patients and colleagues are also seeing significant benefits. I can also see a lot more of my family this way.”
Demand continues to be created due to the greater use of diagnostics. Teleradiology is set to be rolled out and developed across the country and will play a pivotal role in providing exceptional patient service now and in the future.
For further information about this news article, contact John V. Wright, Blue Planet Communications, 01782 711978.
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