Radiology services across West Yorkshire and Harrogate have moved one step closer to the implementation of transformative image-sharing technology which will allow clinicians to view patient images and reports across the six West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT) hospitals.

On Saturday 7th November, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust became the final WYAAT trust to implement the new PACS Enterprise Imaging radiology software, which means that all six WYAAT trusts are now operating on the same platform.

The next step in this collaborative process will be the implementation of new image-sharing technology that will link up all the regional PACS systems and provide instant access for clinicians to view patient images and reports, which previously had to be physically or electronically transferred between hospital sites. It will also allow clinicians the opportunity to view patient images from their own homes.

Instant access to images and reports leads to quicker diagnosis for patients, as staff no longer need to wait to receive images and reports from other hospital trusts. In some cases, this reduces the number of scans a patient needs, lowering the amount of radiation they receive, as well as the number of visits the patient needs to make to hospital.

The Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative (YIC), the official name of the hospital trusts working together to improve radiology services, has estimated that this new technology will benefit a patient population of more than 3 million across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, North Lincolnshire and Goole.

The following trusts will benefit from this new technology:

• Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
• Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

YIC is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaboration of hospitals working together to improve services for patients and staff.

Clinical Lead for the Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative, Daniel Fascia, said: “This new technology will transform the way hospitals deliver radiology services to patients for the better. Not only will the image sharing software reduce the time patients spend in hospital, it will allow for quicker diagnosis and relieve some of the pressures on radiology services across the region.”