A joint project between North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust and radiology technology company Hexarad has been shortlisted for the 2023 HSJ Awards in the new ‘Modernising Diagnostics’ category.
The project looked to digitise the out-of-hours diagnostic imaging services at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital, through the use of a digital platform to integrate imaging referrers, radiographers, radiologists and operational teams to deliver better governance, increased clinical capacity, and faster delivery of emergency diagnostic services.
The new digital system has streamlined the out-of-hours workflow by enabling better communication and coordination within clinical teams. With a pioneering move away from telephone and paper-based imaging referrals, this digitised out-of-hours diagnostic service facilitates better patient care by increasing clinical capacity and eliminating key sources of delay.
Dr Jaymin Patel, Chief Operating Officer at Hexarad, comments; “It is absolutely fantastic that the Hexarad team has been recognized and shortlisted for this year’s HSJ Awards. Our collaborative project with North West Anglia focused on out-of-hours radiology services, which we know are a key source of delay in Emergency Departments. More than 2 million people attended an A&E department in April 2023, but only 74.6% of patients were seen within 4 hours, significantly below the NHS’s 95% standard.
“We’re very proud that the implementation of our digitized solution at Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals has resulted in an average turnaround time of 22 minutes and referral times of approximately 2 minutes. Not only does this result in saving 12 hours per night from being stuck on the phone, but it encourages better communication, easier access to clinical discussions and a robust, documented and fully transparent auditable imaging pathway. ”
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust and Hexarad for being shortlisted in the category of ‘Modernising Diagnostics’.
“It’s been so encouraging to hear that 2023 has been record-breaking in terms of the number of applicants and, as ever, the calibre of entries left our panel of expert judges with some tough decisions to deliberate over.
“However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.
“We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector – as well as coming together to help mark the 75th birthday of our great NHS. Huge thanks also go to our new headline partner, Vodafone, who share our mission of driving the standard of healthcare excellence and creating better patient experiences.”
A ‘record-breaking’ 1456 entries have been received for this year’s Awards, with 223 projects and individuals reaching the final shortlist, making it the biggest awards programme in the award’s 43-year history. The high volume – and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on November 16th 2023.
The 2023 awards judging panel was once again made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute; Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory; Anne-Marie Vine-Lott, Director of Health, Vodafone; Sir Jim Mackey, National Director of Elective Recovery, NHS England, as well as a range of esteemed Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.
The full list of nominees for the 2023 HSJ awards can be found at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/ alongside details of the Awards partners at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/partners.