Radiology Management Solutions (RMS) has helped an NHS Trust address its staff shortage problem through the implementation of an innovative, out-of-hours staffing solution within its radiology department. RMS worked closely with one of its NHS Trust customers to implement an out of hours and weekend service that meant scans could continue to be performed, irrespective of staff shortages.
With a recent BBC News report stating that the NHS is ‘dangerously’ short of staff, including up to 35,000 nurses and 10,000 doctors, RMS Director William Bailey commented “It has been a hard winter for NHS employees; the pressure to hit targets and maintain a high level of patient care is made all the more difficult with the shortage of staff across all disciplines. Radiology departments are no exception. RMS can help to alleviate the pressure and reduce waiting lists, including complex scans and those on urgent cancer pathways, through our team of highly qualified CT and MRI radiographers.”
Typically RMS will open and staff an existing radiology department out of hours and at weekends, which means that a mobile scanning device may not be needed. “We have found that an approximate saving of 30% can be made when staffing an existing department out of hours rather than hiring a third party mobile scanning unit.” continued Bailey.
To enable Trusts to quickly access radiology services, RMS has collaborated with the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to develop a Framework agreement for the provision of radiology services. This means that NHS Trusts, and other public bodies, can quickly and efficiently implement an outsourced scanning solution, irrespective of internal NHS staffing issues.
