The Trust is seeking to establish a new contract via a competitive tendering exercise for a teleradiology reporting service (outsourcing). The project will employ a phased approach to work with the supplier to convert the current pilot scheme for outsourcing overnight CT scans to a continuous supported service for a 3 year contract term (initially 36 months with an option to extend for a further 2 years in twelve monthly increments, contract if fully extended 5 years in total).

1. Phase 1 – install, commission and re-provide the current service for outsourcing of specified overnight emergency CT scans (CT head for trauma, haemorrhage and stroke and body CT for trauma and vascular emergencies) between 23:00-08:00 (approximately 1 500-2 000 scans per year).

2. Phase 2 – extend the range of CT scans outsourced to include general medical and surgical emergencies and a limited range of MRI examinations.

3. Phase 3 – to extend the time period for outsourcing to cover 19:00-07:00 dependant on the success of the business case to introduce 7-day working for radiologists (approximately 5,000 scans per year).

4. Phase 4 – the inclusion of remote reporting of elective radiology examinations (CT, MRI and plain films) on a ‘pay as you go' basis with no commitment to specific reporting volumes.

The time line to achieve the 4 phases would be during the first 12 months of the contract period.