Securing the sustainability of radiopharmacy services
PenRAD has helped ensure the sustainability of radiopharmacy services, working closely with the nuclear medicine community to ensure current provision is retained and improved.
The challenge
The network convenes a nuclear medicine community of practice, which highlighted significant issues with radiopharmacies and reliable radioisotope provision in the peninsula.
Radiopharmacies prepare the radioactive materials required to diagnose and treat specific diseases in nuclear medicine. They are highly specialised and regulated.
One site’s radiopharmacy was found to be non-compliant by the external specialist pharmacy service inspection team and another was shutdown without notice, due to cabinet contamination, requiring a temporary solution at a cost of around £1m.
The issues and risks were escalated and the Peninsula Acute Provider Collaborative approved the development of a Peninsula Radiopharmacy Strategy to support future service investment decisions. The strategy work was led by PenRAD in partnership with One Devon Integrated Care Board.
Our approach
PenRAD consulted with nuclear medicine staff and radiopharmcy services in the four peninsula trusts to develop an evidenced, tested strategy, where the region could retain its current four radiopharmacies.
This process helped to improve communication, culture and collaborative working, and resulted in the development of an interim service that would be compliant with regulatory inspections.
As a relatively small service, with an under-the-radar profile in diagnostics, nuclear medicine colleagues reported that they felt that their voices had been heard and acted upon.
Impact and benefits
The joint strategy work concluded that the peninsula should retain a radiopharmacy service at each of the four peninsula trusts
The project has led to applicable trusts submitting bids to NHS England and within trusts for capital estates funding. By carrying out detailed financial sensitivity analyses on all of the available options, PenRAD was able to drive the recommended strategy, including estates, workforce and transport costs.
Next steps
A review of radiopharmacy staffing models will now be undertaken at each trust. Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trusts will progress estates plans for a new, compliant radiopharmacy, while Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will undertake an options appraisal to either purchase a relocatable unit or build a new radiopharmacy within the trust’s existing estate footprint.
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust will progress plans for an expanded radiopharmacy, and there is the potential to further review nuclear medicine service provision across Devon.