New technology provides a real boost for Wigan hospitals' radiology staff

At-home workstations for radiology staff were introduced out of necessity at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

They proved to be a success, so the number of workstations is now being increased from nine to 27, with the help of central funding.

The partnership between Hospital Services Limited (HSL) and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) provides flexible working for full-time consultants and reporting radiographers.

Raquel Tuano-Donnelly, WWL’s clinical director of radiology, said: “Following the roll-out of at-home reporting during the pandemic, many consultants on our team noted what they felt was increased focus, reduced distractions and higher productivity when given the opportunity to report from home.

“This led to us examining the way our teams work and deciding that – even following the return to work as normal – at-home reporting should be incorporated into our long-term approach to work.”

HSL developed an at-home workspace with a diagnostic display for radiologists, which includes an energy-efficient and lightweight design.

The display’s 30ins screen, high brightness and contrast ratio, and wide colour gamut helps radiographers see even more colours and details.

HSL has worked closely with the radiology team to ensure all staff are trained in the systems and the at-home installations were set up with the same attention to detail and ongoing calibration as their hospital counterparts.

Steve Leatherland, regional director of operations for HSL, said: “High-quality image reporting plays a vital role in the swift and accurate diagnosis of patients with a wide variety of conditions. It is of paramount importance to us – and to the team at WWL NHS trust – that the accuracy and quality of output at home is equal to work completed within the trust’s facilities.”

Tom Leyland, clinical lead for imaging digital systems at WWL, said: “Not only has our at-home reporting programme helped to improve productivity for consultants and reporting radiographers, it has also reduced commuting time, increased capacity and has led to improved job satisfaction which will, in turn, help improve staff retention at a time where radiologists are in short supply.”