"New capabilities mean we can think more openly about delivering care for patients at sites convenient for them. And it will allow us to quickly access second opinions from colleagues across Greater Manchester whilst having greater access to peer review, and being able to make far more of the human resource available to us within the NHS."
The program hopes to join together more than just radiology imaging. In the future, it is expected to bring together imaging for disciplines including nuclear medicine, orthopaedics and medical photography. And the program has also been future proofed so that imaging from specialisms including endoscopy, cardiology and pathology can eventually be added into the Sectra imaging solution.
Ray Timmins, the systems lead for the initiative, said: "This is not about a new system for radiology. The test will be making sure that an emergency department doctor can quickly access imaging to inform an important decision, or that a consultant can use imaging to determine in minutes if a patient has had a stroke. It's about more than hospitals too - with community access also important. And whether its COVID-19 or other emergencies - this should put Greater Manchester in a stronger position to respond."
Chris Sleight, the program's director, said: "With other programs on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, this procurement has advanced at pace and will be crucial in enabling hospitals to meet diagnostic demands. The new platform will take us to a place where we can really transform services, where clinicians can work across organizational boundaries, where we can reduce outsourcing, and where patients might get scanned in their locality but get reported by a professional on the other side of Manchester.
"State-of-the-art technology will give the Greater Manchester region a springboard to catch up and overtake what colleagues have done in other parts of the country. We have an aggressive implementation plan to get the benefits to everyone in the shortest possible timescale. This will allow us to reduce mortality and morbidity through faster diagnosis and reduce the need for patients to attend multiple hospitals and face repeat scanning. And in choosing Sectra we have a collaborative partner that shares our vision and that will help us to drive forward our ambitions."
Jane Rendall, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Sectra, said: "Working with the NHS in Greater Manchester is one of the most exciting things we have ever done - not just because of the size and complexity of the initiative - but because of the ambition. This is about changing pathways and the diagnostic process so that outcomes are likely to be more successful for patients. This is not just an opportunity to deliver a clinical system but to make a difference by working in partnership with Greater Manchester as a social and health body that is improving prevention, treatment and diagnostics for patients."
