Mobile imaging in the wake of the pandemic

The increasing demand for scanning and imaging device capacity in the  wake of COVID-19 presents a real challenge for the NHS and its patients,  but there are available solutions. In this article, Clarissa Pattinson,  contract specialist at HealthTrust Europe, explains how mobile  diagnostic units can help manage and increase capacity in the NHS  in the coming months and years as elective services restart.

It is becoming clear that the health threat of coronavirus will not be limited to those who suffer from the virus. In June 2020, the NHS Confederation warned that the health service will be put under serious strain as cancer, stroke and heart care services try to restart.¹

Healthcare providers will have to think about the ways that they can effectively manage their limited internal imaging capacity to ensure that the backlog of patients on elective care waiting lists can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible, despite the difficult circumstances. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, radiology departments were facing increasing demand, caused in part by the ageing population, a lack of radiologists and an increase in the complexity of imaging examinations.