A local solution to cancer care
Clare Beadsmoore, Consultant in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust explains;
Why PET/CT?
“When we started using PET/CT in 2005 we shared a mobile facility in Cambridge with Papworth Hospital – a very small service for a very large area. Having our own InHealth mobile facility locally has been fantastic, giving us more capacity and enabling clinicians to refer more patients.”
“We’re also finding that PET/CT is useful in cancers we hadn’t routinely used it for before. As we all become more comfortable with the technology we can scan more patients and find more uses for it.”
“By giving us a different view of the cancer it’s having a big impact on patient management, and in an increasing number of cases it means we can focus on curative rather than palliative treatment.”
“Everybody’s tumours behave and spread in different ways, and PET/CT enables us to provide a more personalised treatment. We can now tailor the treatment to the individual, and not to the disease.”
“In common conditions like lung cancer, PET/CT scanning will change the staging in around 30% of cases, which means that many patients are having surgery rather than chemotherapy and vice versa.
The InHealth Service
“The PET/CT service delivered by InHealth is now very good. Now that everybody’s used to the service, it’s working very well.”
“The mobile PET/CT unit is here for one day a week and we’re currently able to scan around 12 patients from around the region. Our contract with InHealth is based on an increasing number of patients year-on-year, and they are planning to increase the scanning hours during the day so that we can increase the number of patients seen.”
“We’re gradually increasing the funded indications in the region, but this has to be done sensibly within the available capacity to avoid overwhelming the facilities. Everything is done on a case-by-case basis and it’s working very well.”
“The InHealth staff at the Patient Referral Centre are really nice and approachable, and great with patients. The staff in the mobile unit are also very professional and very good with patients.”
Referral and Reporting
“The referral process works very well. All the hospitals in the eastern part of
the region send their referrals to me. I check that they are appropriate and then forward them to InHealth, who then contact the patients and arrange the appointments. The whole process is very efficient.”
“Where possible, scans are reported locally. With a colleague, I report on scans for Norfolk and Norwich University and Colchester hospitals. It’s a very slick system: our reports on computer are sent back to e-Locum and then on to the relevant clinician.”
Consultant Benefits
“The people who commission scans really like the InHealth PET/CT service as it’s simple and quick. Scans are back on the PACS workstation within 48 hours.”
“Because it looks at tumours in a completely different way, PET/CT gives
clinicians a more accurate and earlier view of the tumour, and enables more appropriate and personalised treatment.Previously the tumour had to be big enough to change something anatomically – now we can pick it up much earlier.”
Patient benefits
“Irrespective of Patient Choice, people generally want to be treated well at their local hospital, so having a local PET/CT service is fantastic for the area. Norfolk has a largely rural population and no motorways, so cutting down the cost and inconvenience of travelling long distances is a major benefit for patients.”
“Patients want the best treatment with the fewest side effects. The InHealth PET/CT service enables us to tailor the treatment to the individual patient – and in 30% of cases, this treatment will change because of PET/CT.”