Roll Out Of Digital Technology Revolutionises NHS Patient Care In England

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 29 Dec 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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State of the art digital technology that has revolutionised the way the NHS captures, records and uses patient x-ray and scans is now being used in every hospital trust in England, the Department of Health said today.

Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) are replacing the old way of capturing x-rays and scans on film and paper enabling clinical images to be stored electronically and viewed on screen.

The roll-out of PACS has been a major element in the National Programme for IT (NPfIT), which is helping the NHS to deliver better, safer care to patients via new computer systems and services.

Using this technology, healthcare professionals can look at images at the touch of a button. X-rays and scanned images are available to view on screens in different locations such as x-ray departments, out-patients clinics, operating theatres and in-patient wards simultaneously.

The system also gives clinicians instant access to old x-rays and scans, enabling the comparison of old images with new. This is especially useful when treating long-term conditions. Images can also be rotated, enlarged and manipulated in other ways, helping clinicians diagnose conditions more quickly and accurately.

More timely reporting and clinical decision-making, and more efficient ways of working, mean that PACS is making a major contribution to the delivery of a maximum 18-week wait for patients from referral to start of treatment.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:

"The benefits of the introduction of PACS in terms of improved patient care are massive. This innovative technology speeds up and improves the accuracy of diagnosis, saves time and improves the quality of care. Trusts are reporting that the time taken for radiologists and radiographers to issue reports to clinicians have typically been halved from more than six days to less than three and these report turnaround times continue to fall with some hospitals reporting all imaging within 24 hours.

"2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the NHS, an ideal time to reflect on how the service has evolved using the skill of its dedicated staff and technological advances together with record investment to continually improve the standards and quality of care for millions of people. The NHS is the envy of the world, which is something we should never lose sight of."

As well as improved patient care, the introduction of PACS is also saving money with trusts reporting an average saving of £250,000 in their first year of using the technology.

In 2004 the Government introduced the programme to implement PACS in all English trusts. The final trust to receive a PACS as part of NPfIT was Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust on 10 December 2007, marking the completion of a three year process that has seen 127 trusts across England receive PACS.

PACS medical director Erika Denton, a practising radiologist, said:

"We all recognise the role that PACS is playing in improving patient care. Prior to the advent of NPfIT it had taken 50 trusts some 14 years to implement PACS. But in the last three years, the pace has accelerated massively; the speed and scope of the roll-out has been an incredible achievement. It's a credit to the way that NHS Connecting for Health, strategic health authorities, trusts and IT service providers have worked together."

1. NHS Connecting for Health supports the NHS in providing better, safer, care by delivering computer systems and services which improve the way patient information is stored and accessed.

2. 127 trusts have implemented PACS as part of NPfIT. This three year roll-out contrasts very favourably with the 14 years taken to implement those PACS which pre-dated the programme.

3. As a result of the efforts of the PACS programme there is now a firm foundation for further technical developments, such as improved sharing of images and reports across trusts and regions, and links with independent sector treatment centres and the extension of PACS into new clinical specialties.

4. Clinical engagement has been crucial to the success of the programme, and will continue to be so in the future. A number of clinicians have important roles within the programme's management and governance structure and the programme has worked closely with the relevant professional bodies including the Royal College of Radiologists and Society of Radiographers.

5. The success of the PACS programme has been widely recognised by clinicians, professional bodies and industry commentators. In recent months the programme received the accolade of 'Public Sector Project of the Year' at Computing Magazine's 'Awards of Excellence', and the 'Healthcare IT award' at the Health Business Awards.

6. Over 473 million images have been stored so far using PACS supplied as part of NpfIT.

Department of Health (UK)