Chest Radiographer Training Meeting
Agenda
This is what we are going to discuss in this meeting
- Qualifications
- Medico Legal Safety
- Referrals & Incidental Findings
- Safety Net Radiologist System
- Payment/Tariff
- GP/IP/OP reporting
Minutes
Attendance
Hesh Panditaratne, Bobby Bhartia, Gary Cooper, Debra Punshon, Heather Wright, Amy Richards, Rachel Hunter (CHFT), Rachel Hunter (HUTHT), Neil Gardner, Amanuel Tsegu, Jude Snell
Key Discussion Points
Qualifications for reporting Radiographers
All the sites that attended confirmed that the initial qualification is from the course at Bradford university. All attendees from the different trusts informed the group of their “training” requirements:
- Auditing work
- CPD
- REALM meeting attendance
Outcome: The gathered group felt that ongoing CPD, appraisal and REAL meeting attendance should be the requirements for remaining part of the group of reporting Radiographers in the YIC.
Medico Legal Safety
The discussion was about indemnity for reporting cases that were not part of the reporting radiographer’s trust. The Society of Radiographers provide a certain level of protection.
Outcome: Ask the project managers team to contact the Society of radiographers to confirm indemnity agreement that are required or which are in place for our collaborative situation. Leeds colleagues mentioned that the SoR would cover a radiographer who is permanently based at a trust.
Referrals & Incidental Findings
The group related to each other, the local arrangements currently in use at the trusts that were represented. All represented trusts stated that they all have workflows based on RIS based codes.
The current method that is being proposed for YIC generated reports for all reporting colleagues (not just radiographers) is to have RIS based codes unique to YIC reported cases. The local trusts would each be asked to adapt their own workflows to include the (yet to be developed ) YIC RIS codes.
Safety Net Radiologist System
The YIC have no plans to create a pool of colleagues to act as a pool of knowledge or second help for those doing insourced reporting. Suggestions put forward for additional opinions were for:
- Teams group for sending messages
- Other methods of clear lines of communication to others in the reporting group and SIG colleagues for help
Payment/Tariff
- There was confusion regarding the statement on the website regarding payment for plain films based on views
- The payments for reported insourced cases will be based on CRIS or NICIP codes
For example, a CXR will have a payment assigned to the Chest XRay NICIP code – whether it is a simple frontal film or frontal and lateral or even if several attempts were needed.
- discussion moved to a recommendation to pay the best price for anyone reporting plain film, to ensure that the reporting gets done. The emphasis should be on ensuring the reporting is carried out in good time but within a reasonable payment tariff envelope.
GP/IP/OP Reporting
The attending members stated what referral source films are reported by radiographers currently. BB informed the group about the reasoning behind the LTHFT decision to give GP plain film reporting to consultants only (no registrars or radiographers report these).
The question was asked that “if a trust does not routinely have Radiographers reporting films from a particular referral source, would they object to an outsourced radiographer reporting such a case?”
The group felt that the trust sending the imaging needs to be aware that this situation may arise and that should help decide if the imaging should go out for reporting or not.
BB recommended a potential SOP stating that the radiographer reporting remit should be clearly stated.
Any Other Business
- What would happen if equipment broke down and IT support. DP stated that she would return with an answer.
- Could the SIG meetings be used for educational content. HP as the SIG chair said that this would be acceptable if accepted by all.
- NG (BTHFT) asked to be on the email group for the Chest SIG