The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has announced a 15-year partnership with Siemens Healthineers to provide critical imaging equipment to the city’s radiology departments.
The partnership will cover the installation and ongoing replacement of 222 pieces of critical imaging equipment, including MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, nuclear medicine, advanced visualisation software and mammography.
The service agreement begins in this month, aiming to address the challenges outlined in the city’s population health plan by improving health outcomes and reducing variation in healthcare delivery across Greater Manchester.
Catherine Walsh, divisional director of imaging at the trust said: ‘This is so much more than a transaction. It’s a 15-year value partnership, a relationship enabling us to provide the very best in care delivery for the people of Greater Manchester.
‘Having the peace of mind in the provision of replacement, maintenance and repair of imaging equipment, which is crucial to the running of any imaging service, is extremely reassuring.
‘Our trust needs the right equipment which is modern and reliable with the maximum uptime while being fit for purpose and affordable. This in turn enables best clinical and operational practice.’
A spokesperson for the trust said the benefits for radiographers should help to attract and retain staff, with further career development opportunities as they moved forward with a new programme of ‘education, collaboration and innovation’.
Nancy West, head of enterprise services for Great Britain and Ireland at Siemens Healthineers, said: ‘The trust faces continued growth in demand for its imaging services, increasing by 5 - 10 per cent each year. Combine this with the region’s rapidly growing population plus the inconsistencies in health outcomes, and a strategic imaging partnership made perfect sense.
‘The solution we have created provides the solutions the trust was seeking – innovative technology, a structured replacement plan, responsive equipment support, and a partner to help them continuously provide excellent patient care.’
The partnership has been four years in the making, involving radiographers at each stage of the process and in developing the specifications for their equipment for each modality area.
Ageing equipment is one of the urgent issues facing radiography departments, as pointed out in the Richards report for NHS England last year, which recommended that ‘that ‘all imaging equipment older than 10 years should be replaced’.
The government earmarked £325m for the NHS to invest in new diagnostic imaging equipment as part of its latest spending review (Synergy News, January 2021). Chancellor Rishi Sunak said this would be enough ‘to replace over two thirds of imaging equipment that is over 10 years old’.
The deal in numbers
15-year partnership
£125m investment
350+ installations
200+ critical imaging systems
Covers eight hospital sites