Manchester signs £125m deal with Siemens to upgrade radiology tech

A new 15-year partnership between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Siemens Healthineers will see key radiology equipment upgraded across the trust’s eight hospital sites.

The £125 million partnership will ensure more than 350 equipment installations, more than 200 of which will include critical imaging systems.

The partnership is designed to address challenges highlighted in the Manchester Population Health Plan, published in 2018 and covering up until 2027, by improving health outcomes and reducing variation in healthcare delivery.

It aims to better integrate and improve the health of Greater Manchester’s population of 2.8 million, while enhancing the hospital’s technology offering.

Pressures from Covid-19 are also hoped to be relieved with imaging equipment for rapid diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease.

Catherine Walsh, divisional director of imaging for the trust, said: “Demand for our imaging services is increasing by 5%-10% every year, yet we’ve had to reduce our throughput to deal safely with Covid-19. This new relationship gives us the confidence that we’ll be able to continue to invest in the latest technology with the flexibility to adapt it to our needs, now and into the future.

“All associated factors such as maintenance and budgeting are taken care of. Ultimately, the partnership will enable us to focus on delivering the best patient experience while at the same time helping us to attract and retain leading talent and develop staff to unlock their full potential.”

The Manchester Population Health Plan set a number of priorities for the region to achieve by 2027 including supporting people, households and communities to be socially connected; action on preventable early deaths; and improving the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

Part of the plan to give people the tools to improve their own health and wellbeing included developing and improving access to technologies to give people greater control over their own health.

Nancy West, head of enterprise services at Siemens Healthineers in Britain and Ireland, added: “From selection, installation and training, through to maintenance and risk management, this is a long-term relationship to help MFT optimise operations, expand capabilities and advance innovation.

“We’ll be fully integrated into the MFT team, with dedicated on-site support and hospital-based operational points of contact. We’ll also drive further value through additional services, including the review of current processes and workflows through our healthcare consulting team.”