Extending a project which began out of necessity during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to enable at-home reporting for radiology staff, leading supplier of innovative diagnostic imaging solutions, HSL are delighted to have continued our partnership with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Teaching Hospital to facilitate flexible working for full time consultants and reporting radiographers, growing the hospital’s initial 9 to 10 at-home Barco workstations to 27 with the help of central funding.

“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,” said Raquel Tuano-Donnelly, Clinical Director of Radiology at Wigan Trust. “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.”

With a focus on continuity between the clinical and at-home reporting experiences, HSL developed an at-home workspace solution incorporating Barco’s Coronis Fusion 6MP display, the manufacturer’s renowned diagnostic display for radiologists which includes an energy-efficient and lightweight design which helps radiologists provide care with confidence.

In addition to the display’s 30-inch screen, high brightness and contrast ratio, and wide colour gamut which help radiographers see even more colours and detail, all displays are also equipped with Barco’s QAWeb Enterprise that helps hospitals manage quality and assure compliance with less effort, lower cost, and complete confidence. The fully-automated and secure systems support consistent image quality and uptime for all PACS display systems including those operating remotely.

An ongoing partner with the Trust, HSL has worked closely with the radiology team to ensure all staff are trained in the systems’ use and the at-home installations are set up with the same attention to detail and ongoing calibration as their clinically located counterparts.

“Whilst the efficiencies and access provided by home reporting are certainly to be celebrated, it is of utmost importance that the quality of reporting and trust in diagnostics remains uncompromised,” said Lee Unsworth, Radiology Lead at Wigan Trust.

“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,” added Steve Leatherland, Regional Director of Operations, HSL.

“Our team takes the specifications, installation, and at-home set-up of these systems very seriously, paying particularly close attention to accuracy, compliance, and consistency. And to ensure that this focus on high performance continues even after the systems are commissioned, our team continues to support Wigan Trust with wrap-around support for the team to supply ongoing calibration and quality assurance services.”

Commenting on the continued positive impact of WWL Trust’s at-home reporting program Tom Leyland, Clinical Lead for Imaging Digital Systems at Wigan Trust, 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.”

In addition to the maintenance and assessment of diagnostic tools and technologies, HSL’s specialist team also provides on-site ergonomic reports to help guide the implementation of the right solution for a friendly, ergonomic working environment for radiology professionals and wider disciplines including digital pathology.