Teesside hospital rolls out artificial intelligence for chest X-rays – ‘an exciting time for radiographers’

Teesside Hospital has made a significant investment in artificial intelligence for chest X-rays, to speed up diagnosis and treatment of lung cancers.

The technology will help radiographers and other healthcare staff at the South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust identify abnormalities in chest scans.

Dr. Tracy O’Regan, professional officer for clinical imaging and research at the SoR, explained that the NHS England AI Deployment Fund is progressing with several trusts now entering the phase of deployment of AI software to assist with the detection of pathology on chest X-ray, chest CT, MSK X-ray or CT Brain.

'An exciting time for diagnostic radiographers'

She added: “ NHSE have also commissioned a rapid service evaluation of the deployment, which should provide evidence about the effectiveness, efficiency, acceptability and trustworthiness of those systems in a range of settings. 

“This is an exciting time for diagnostic radiographers who are at the forefront of providing person-centred care and information, and enabling informed consent for patients in those departments. 

“We hope that ultimately this will result in innovative approaches to service provision and the best possible patient outcomes for the millions of patients they collectively support each year.”

Formed of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the health group rolled out the Annalise AI system earlier this month. 

'Earlier treatment and improved outcomes'

Patients can be referred to the lung health team for an X-ray through a number of routes, including via a GP or from hospital departments such as emergency care, outpatients or as an inpatient. 

Clare Butt, advanced practitioner in radiology at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS FT, said: “This is already supporting us in identifying potential issues straight away. This might not always be something we are initially looking for but which AI has helped to raise with us as a potential issue to look at.

“It’s a tool to help guide us and find anomalies before a full radiological report is carried out by the team. It is also helping us to prioritise the most urgent images and ensure these are seen first. 

“It is ultimately helping us diagnose issues at the very earliest opportunity and provide earlier treatment and improved health outcomes.” 

Consultant musculoskeletal radiologist Dr Maya Jafari added: "This is an exciting time for our radiology department. This artificial intelligence tool will help radiologists and radiographers responsibly and safely prioritise our chest x-ray workload and make sure we can quickly identify patients who need further tests or specialist appointments." 

Across the country, £21 million in government funding has been allocated to more than 60 NHS trusts across all regions of the country for implementation of the AI tool – to help with the more than 600,000 chest X-rays performed each month in England. 

(Image: Radiology advanced practitioners Clare Butt (left) and Lorraine Hollings – North Tees and Hartlepool NHS FT)