There has been a sustained growth in the provision of cardiovascular CT, including CTCA, in the UK, however the delivery of CTCA remains highly variable across the UK and even within regions. The introduction of the NICE guidelines for stable chest pain will require significant investment in new technology, a far wider and more uniform geographical delivery of CTCA, and extensive investment in the clinical workforce to ensure training and experience is accessible and provided, to deliver high quality CTCA against agreed standards.
To assess the provision and capability within the UK the BSCI/BSCCT worked closely with industry partners, the Royal College of Radiologists, British Cardiovascular Society, and other national stakeholders to obtain detailed and accurate data on UK cardiovascular CT (including CTCA) practice. The BSCI/BSCCT looked at infrastructure (including equipment), current delivery of CTCA and cardiovascular CT services, and accredited personnel figures to assess the likely impact of the updated NICE guidelines in the delivery of the requirements proposed for assessment of patients with stable chest pain. We also modelled the expected demands on these services, based on the current sustainability and transformation plan (STP) populations in England and Health Boards in the devolved nations to produce Red-Amber-Green (RAG) maps that visually highlight the key areas that need addressing.
The results are published in a report available to download here:
The challenge of national CT coronary angiography (CTCA) provisionAnd also in a publication in OpenHeart that is available here.
