Royal Stoke University Hospital are undertaking a revalidation of the ultrasound Waiting List.
They have undertaken a review of their ‘Authorisation criteria’ for primary care ultrasound referrals. This has shown that current department practice does not align to national best practice guidelines (BMUS Justification of Ultrasound Requests V5 05/22), which other Trusts within our region align to.
As a result of this they have accrued a large volume of referrals on their waiting list that do not meet these best practice guidelines. To address this, they intend to carry out a comprehensive revalidation of the ultrasound waiting list, with the aim of ensuring only appropriate referrals are retained. This process is due to commence on Monday 2nd June 2025.
As part of this process, they anticipate that a significant number of referrals that were initially accepted, may be rejected. They fully understand that this will cause disruption and anxiety to some patients. Please be assured that all clinically appropriate requests will be retained. Once revalidation is completed and appropriate best practice workflows are fully implemented, they will transition to a more clinically effective ultrasound service.
They sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this process may cause. Their team is committed to ensuring this process is handled efficiently and will respond to any queries or concerns.