Wembley Community Diagnostic Centre MRI scan (Credit: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust)
The first remote MRI scans have been conducted as part of a pilot by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust intended to reduce waiting times and increase patient choice.
The team at Wembley Community Diagnostic Centre launched the pilot on 22 January 2025 and it will continue until the end of July 2025.
Patients are being offered the option to have scans using the latest remote scanning technology, which allows the radiographer to operate the MRI remotely through the Radiology Operations Command Centre (ROCC) platform.
Abdifatah Jama, the first NHS radiographer to operate the remote scanning system, said: “It was a very smooth shift for me and the ROCC system was easy to use, I have not encountered any problems.
“Constant communication is vital in order to establish nice, easy and safe working environment for everyone.
“This means we can now scan patients till midnight and offer appointments that suit them. It will also reduce the waiting time for patients who would have otherwise had to wait much longer for their scan.
“It also elevates the pressure from the main sites so that very urgent patients can be seen and scanned promptly.”
This is the first time the technology has been used for this purpose in the NHS and means imaging resources can be managed more effectively, and staff can be supported to work more flexibly around times that suit patients.
The pilot also provides a potential template for how other services may look to reduce waiting times and increase patient choice.
In a joint statement, Philip Gregory, imaging practice educator, and Matthew Buck, MRI modality lead at Wembley Community Diagnostic Centre, said: “We are really encouraged by the results from the first month of the pilot.
“We have demonstrated an innovative way to deliver safe and effective MRI imaging services to a patient whilst also providing a flexible working opportunity for our staff.”
Meanwhile, in January 2025, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust announced plans to upgrade to Netcall’s cloud-based contact centre solution that connects data, systems, teams and communication channels.
The Converse CX solution is expected to go live in spring 2025 and is intended to increase patient engagement and drive productivity.