Foreword
This report from the Diagnostic Steering Group sets the strategic direction which will be required to deliver patient centred radiology services which improve the quality and value of direct patient care.
Radiology services are a critical component of patient pathways as many patients will require these services. The landscape in which we deliver these services is changing with Better Cancer Care placing a renewed focus on improving cancer waiting times and a commitment that from December 2011, the maximum time a patient will wait from GP referral to treatment will be no longer than 18 weeks. This report sets out key recommendations for a strategy to ensure diagnostic services are able to fully recognise their contribution and the potential of improving the quality of healthcare, shifting the balance of care closer to home, improving access, and deliver value for money through increased productivity and efficient use of resources.
Measuring radiology service provision on a consistent basis across Scotland will help identify opportunities for improvement and deliver an understanding of the performance of radiology services to ensure greater efficiency and an improved patient experience. This report recommends an approach that will build upon data already gathered and a background of real improvement in radiology services. The challenge going forward is to develop a consistent approach to benchmarking that will allow a service to critically evaluate itself against a comparable service, and identify opportunities for improvement.
This report sets out the framework to make this a reality and will set out how NHSScotland will deliver key recommendations of the Audit Scotland report Review of NHS Diagnostic Services (2008) and builds upon those findings. The Diagnostic Steering Group will ensure that a detailed action plan is in place to support NHSScotland to meet those recommendations through a Managed Diagnostic Network approach. The action plan will be issued in December 2009. This network will be crucial in harnessing clinical support and leading the implementation of the key recommendations set out in this report.
I commend this report to NHS Boards, for them to embrace the recommendations and action plan.
JOHN BURNS
Chair of the Diagnostic Steering Group and
Chief Executive NHS Dumfries and Galloway