Reducing imaging waiting times: enhanced roles and service-redesign

The aim of this paper is to explain how University Hospitals of Leicester's Nuclear Medicine service managers needed to reduce waiting times to comply with internal clinical requirements and with external local primary care trust (PCT) and national Department of Health targets.

The team undertook a comprehensive service review to identify problem areas and potential improvements, including: process mapping; data gathering (activity and demand, equipment and staff availability/utilisation); external practice reviews, searching evidence bases; and financial implications. This case study describes how an inter-disciplinary team redesigned the service and used new working methods to reduce waiting times. Their aim was to discuss a service's practical elements and show how innovation leading to sustainable change can be implemented effectively.

The review highlighted service delivery bottlenecks for myocardial perfusion imaging, which were linked to medical staff shortages, staff use and equipment between hospital sites, and a silo approach to referrals rather than a coordinated organisation-wide approach.

Introducing enhanced roles allowed nurses, radiographers and technologists to undertake work previously performed by medical staff thus removing a key service bottleneck. Modifications to service delivery and a cultural change in nuclear medicine resulted in a service that was more efficient, flexible and able to cope with increased demand.

These changes meant that minimum waiting-time targets were achieved, in particular waiting for myocardial perfusion imaging (reduced from 42 weeks in 2005 to two weeks by 2009). Changes allowed service managers to maintain short waiting times in the current, challenging healthcare climate.