Information for health professionals
Referrals
Radiology will only accept external imaging referrals which meet the referral criteria in the latest RCR ‘Making the best use of clinical radiology’ guidelines (iRefer) or UHS ultrasound referral guidelines AND that are listed in the table below.
GPs and approved non-medical referrers can refer patients for diagnostic imaging with UHS via ICE and ERS 2WW pathways.
Advice and guidance for diagnostic imaging is available via ERS, alternatively referrers can contact PacsSupport@uhs.nhs.uk.
Referral for dental x-rays
Before making a referral, all referrers must complete a dental practitioner agreement form (below) to join the approved referrers list and agree to compliance with the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017. All referrals must meet the FGDP ‘Selection Criteria for Dental Radiography’.
- Each referral must include the patient's demographic information, as well as clinical details.
- Each patient referral will require a dentist signature.
- Please state if imaging is for a private or NHS patient.
The cost of private patient imaging is £42 per examination; please note this does not include a radiological report. Imaging will be available via an image viewing portal, arranged by the image transfer team.
Selection criteria for dental radiography.
Lymphadenopathy in children
Please see top tips for referral information below:
|
Modality
|
Examinations
|
GP referrals accepted
|
|---|---|---|
| Planar imaging | All planar | All planar |
| Fluoroscopy | Barium swallows, barium meals, water soluble contrast studies, cystograms, gastrograffin enemas, loopograms, proctograms, small bowel enema, small bowel follow thorough, T tube cholangiogram, urethrogram, joint injections, arthrograms, nerve root blocks, PICC line insertions | Barium swallows only. The rest require referral from UHS clinician. |
| Ultrasound at UHS | General medical and vascular (abdominal, MSK, small parts, acute emergency, interventional, paediatrics and vascular) |
Abdominal, small parts, diagnostic MSK, paediatrics. The rest require referral from UHS clinician. |
| Ultrasound at PAH | Gynaecology and obstetrics | Yes |
| CT | All CT examinations | Only CT KUB, the rest require UHS clinician referral. |
| MRI | All MRI examinations | No |
| Nuclear medicine | Most routine scans - bone scans, DMSA kidney scans, MAG3 renogram, lung scans etc. | Yes |
| Neuro interventional radiology |
Cerebral angiography, cerebral endovascular embolisations, mechanical thrombectomy, X-ray guided lumbar punctures, myelography, fluoroscopy guided nerve root injections |
No |
|
Modality
|
Weight limit
|
|---|---|
| Planar imaging | 300kg |
| Fluoroscopy | 200kg |
| Ultrasound | 180-225kg |
| CT | 227kg |
| MRI | |
| Cardiac MRI | 250kg, maximum patient aperture is 70cms |
| Children's imaging | |
| Nuclear medicine | 227kg |
| Neuro interventional angio | 240kg |