Achieving imaging excellence and ISAS accreditation

Introduction

The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust’s X-Ray Medical Imaging department plays a crucial role in delivering high-quality patient care. In 2012, the department sought accreditation under the Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme (ISAS) to further elevate its standards. With document management challenges and the need for consistent knowledge sharing, the department turned to Ideagen for a reliable solution.

The challenge

The X-Ray Medical Imaging department faced several key challenges:

• Inadequate document management made it difficult to maintain consistency in SOPs and knowledge sharing
• The need for a system that could efficiently handle numerous audits, including those related to patient surveys
• The upcoming requirement to demonstrate compliance with ISAS, a standard that could potentially become mandatory for NHS imaging services

Finding the right solution

Ideagen was chosen for its ability to:

• Provide a centralized repository for all controlled documentation, making it easily accessible via keyword searches
• Enable the demonstration of staff competence through a flexible framework that tracks training and development
• Support robust audit management, ensuring that non-conformities are quickly identified and addressed

Implementation and impact

With the introduction of Ideagen Quality Management, the department shifted from reactive compliance to proactive excellence, ensuring that every process, from document control to staff training, is streamlined and future-proofed.

The implementation brought significant improvements:

• Staff gained quick and easy access to all SOPs, reducing time spent searching for documents and improving compliance
• The system’s audit management capabilities allowed the department to handle up to 20 audits per month efficiently, with non-conformities being addressed in governance meetings
• Ideagen’s comprehensive features extended beyond document control, now also managing clinical trials data and with plans to oversee machinery and equipment