The innovative Scottish National Radiology Reporting Service (SNRRS) is supporting NHS Scotland by providing faster access to radiology results for patients, while saving the NHS money.

Since the launch in June 2020, the service has been supporting Health Boards across the country: reporting over 200,000 exams, providing faster diagnosis for patients and saving NHS Scotland more than £1.5 million over the last 18 months.

Based at NHS Golden Jubilee, the unique service allows consultant radiologists to remotely report on diagnostic images, such as CT scans, from anywhere in the country.

Providing faster diagnosis for patients means health boards can determine the right course of treatment as early as possible which could lead to significantly improved outcomes.

The first of its kind in Scotland, the SNRRS employs bank NHS consultant radiologists, rather than outsourcing reporting companies, cutting outsourcing costs significantly.

Consultant Radiologist and bank SNRRS Radiologist Simon McGurk said: “The SNRRS has transformed the way radiology reporting is done across Scottish NHS Boards. It’s really helped improve the way we provide these reporting services for patients.

“By reporting for SNRRS, I can work uninterrupted in my areas of expertise, maximising the support I am able to offer Boards around the country.”

Fellow Consultant Radiologist and bank SNRRS Radiologist Gordon Dewar said: “This service provides far more flexibility in my working schedule, and there is a real satisfaction in being able to provide improved, faster and more efficient reporting for remote areas such as Oban and the Islands.

“From a mental health point of view, carrying out this work remotely also takes away some of the pressures of working in a clinical environment. So it has significant benefits for both patients and the staff involved.”

The service uses an innovative cross-board radiology reporting solution called Share+, which means the way in which hospitals receive these reports is consistent across the whole of Scotland.

Caroline Handley, Deputy Director of National Elective Services at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “The SNRRS is providing a consistent approach to improving radiology reporting to enable equality of care for patients regardless where they are based across Scotland.  

“Moving forward we are looking to expand the service by growing reporting capacity and exploring new ways of increasing cross-board reporting to improve service provision for patients across the country.”

Greg Thomson, Programme Director for the Scottish Radiology Transformation Programme, said: “Sourcing reports from the existing NHS Scotland workforce and giving them the ability to report on patient examinations and access to patient exams from home has allowed much more flexibility and increased capacity of quality reporting within NHS Scotland.

“Radiology in Scotland is now better positioned to recover from the pandemic, respond to future challenges and improve the service we offer to patients in all areas.”

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