Scan waiting times down at hospital trust

An NHS trust has seen a reduction in waiting time from more than 13 weeks to "no more than" three weeks for one of its scans.

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust performs approximately 5,000 bone density scans each year at New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals.

According to the trust, current wait times are two to three weeks, compared to more than 13 weeks in August 2023.

The trust said all patients were offered an appointment in under six weeks.

A bone density scan uses low dose X-rays to see how strong a patient's bones are.

This is used to diagnose or assess the risk of osteoporosis, a health condition that weakens bones and makes them more likely to break.

Josh Bradley, chief clinical technologist for bone densitometry at the trust, said the medical physics and clinical engineering department had helped transform the service.

Mr Bradley said: "I wanted to celebrate the success of the team. In August 2023 , 58.77% of patients referred for a bone density scan waited more than six weeks for a scan.

"Currently, all patients are offered an appointment in under six weeks and the current wait times are two to three weeks."

Mr Bradley said the improvement had come about following digital innovations and a restructure of the department – allowing for the recruitment of two new scan technicians and increasing scanning capacity.

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