WUTH deploys Philips PACS to improve medical imaging efficiency

Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) has implemented Philips PACS, an upgraded medical imaging system that will ensure the trust stays up to date with technology and improves efficiency that will benefit both patients and staff.

The project to upgrade the system began in 2021, when the project team installed the hardware servers and network infrastructure necessary for the upgrade to the new system’s software.

Then, from January 2022 to February 2023, the team migrated 4.2 million images of historic study data to the Philips Vue PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System). Finally, in March 2023, all trust stuff made the transition to the new system. All new images are instantly shared on each patient’s record.

PACS is a medical imaging technology used primarily in healthcare organisations to securely store and digitally transmit electronic images and clinically relevant reports.

A robust system is essential for sharing diagnostics images across the trust and across Cheshire and Merseyside, for all care teams to see imaging from Cheshire and Merseyside patients.

Dr Simon Lea, associate medical director clinical support and diagnostic, said: “The migration of PACS to the Philips Carestream platform has brought WUTH in line with the rest of Mersey region.

“It is familiar to all our junior colleagues who rotate through other trusts, so they are quickly able to access imaging and reports for their patients.

“The global work list means that as a clinician I can see the images of scans done elsewhere without having to wait for them to be imported, this leads to more timely and seamless diagnosis. All my radiology colleagues are now working with the most up to date PACS viewer, helping to improve quality and efficiency.”

The Philips Vue Motion PACS viewer enables WUTH to access both their own and all other images in Cheshire and Merseyside hospitals’ PACS, reducing duplicate imaging and resulting in fewer uploads from external hospitals.

The ‘Regional PACS link’ now allows staff to access all their own, as well as regional images, in one system.

Chris Mason, CIO at WUTH, said: “We are delighted that this upgrade has improved our diagnostic imaging and aligned us with strategic direction of the region.

“We now look forward to playing our part in the implementation of the Cheshire & Merseyside PACS solution, scheduled for 2024. We hope that staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital will continue to enjoy the benefits of this upgraded system for years to come.”

Other regions in England have also deployed PACSs, including four pathology networks in the West Midlands.