IPEM Responds to the NHS Big Conversation
IPEM has responded to the Government’s Big Conversation on the NHS, submitting an organisational response, which was put together by IPEM members representing healthcare, academia and industry and across medical physics and clinical engineering. We emphasised that IPEM would welcome the opportunity to work with the Government to develop its plans.
IPEM highlighted the key role that highly skilled, highly trained MPCE professionals perform across the NHS, as well as in developing technologies in academia and industry. It is vital, therefore, that we have enough MPCE professionals to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.
IPEM believes that regulations should be introduced to move the registration of Clinical Technologists onto a statutory basis. These professionals often work with hazardous substances and highly complex, potentially dangerous items of equipment and are entrusted and relied upon to keep their patients, colleagues and the public safe. There are clear patient safety and assurance arguments for their statutory registration.
The implementation of a universal NHS information governance agreement – across the whole UK - could achieved within the next 2-5 years. This would enable greater collaboration between services.
IPEM welcomes the Government’s promised investment in capital equipment, such as new scanners and radiotherapy equipment. However, long term investment and equipment lifecycles in the NHS are both a financial burden and a key impediment to cutting emissions. Medical Physicists and Clinical Engineers, not only from the NHS, but also in industry and academia, should be involved at each and every stage of procurement to ensure that the latest, most effective and efficient equipment is procured.
A regulatory framework for AI in the NHS should also be implemented. Medical Physicists and Clinical Engineers are essential to this and IPEM would be pleased to be involved in these discussion.
In the long term, support should be given for a facility to enable the UK generation of medical radionuclides. Despite their importance, the UK now depends heavily on imports for key radioisotopes, many of which are supplied by air from South Africa and Europe.
Chris Watt, IPEM’s Head of Communications & Public Affairs, said:
“As the professional body for medical physics and clinical engineering, it was vital that IPEM had our voice heard in this important Government consultation. Our members, and MPCE professionals more widely, contribute a huge amount to safe, high quality patient care. Across the NHS, academia and industry, they are at the cutting edge of the new technologies that will support patients, reduce waiting times and ultimately, save lives.
IPEM stands ready to continue to work with the Government to address the challenges facing the NHS, that can only be successful with the support of the MPCE community, which is why it’s so important that IPEM is speaking for as many of our professional community as possible.
We have also worked with our any partners on wider responses to this consultation and I’d like to thank all those members who both helped to shape IPEM’s response and have contributed their own responses as individuals. Those personal stories are incredibly powerful.”
Individual responses are still open at Project: Start here | Change NHS