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North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust’s CT colonography department has been awarded a 'centre of excellence' plaque in recognition of its training programme.
The plaque was presented to the trust earlier this week on behalf of the National CT Colonography Academy (NCTCA), created in 2020 to address the variability in CT colonography performance across the country, for the team’s efforts in developing and sustaining high-quality training.
Since 2013, the team has offered training in the service to external trainees – Liam Gale, NCTCA director of educational standards, said the plaque represented many years of hard work and commitment.
'Truly sets the standard'
Liam held North West Anglia Foundation Trust’s CT Colonography lead radiographer position until 2022, after joining in 2010, and oversaw the rapid expansion of the service as the barium enema phased out in 2013.
He said: “This award is so well deserved. The NWAFT CTC team has shown outstanding dedication not just in providing excellent patient care, but in training and supporting radiographers across the UK. You’ve built a culture of teamwork, learning, and quality that truly sets the standard.
“As director for educational standards for the national academy — and as an ex-member of staff here at Peterborough — it’s especially meaningful for me to be back and to see how much the team has achieved.”
The trust adopted the imaging technique in 2007, banking on the service one day replacing the “trusty barium enema”, according to principal GI practitioner and CT colonography lead radiographer Andy Wilkinson.
He explained that much of the early work was done by Dr Barbara McKeown, lead GI consultant radiologist, and Rachael Bilton, consultant GI radiographer, who are both still integral parts of the team.
'A remarkable achievement'
Andy added: “Leafing through old team meeting minutes, it's amazing to see the progression from a few pioneering individuals performing and reporting less than 500 examinations in a year to the team it is now, which performed and reported more than 2,500 examinations in 2024 and may even perform and report more than 3,000 examinations in 2025.”
Throughout this expansion, quality has always been paramount, he continued. The service consistently exceeds aspirational targets for performance and reporting accuracy, set by national and international professional bodies and advisory groups.
“Which, especially being a primarily radiographer-led service, is a remarkable achievement,” Andy emphasised.
'Exceptionally proud and fortunate'
This commitment to quality has been shared with other CTC services over the years, with the team providing training in the services to external trainees from as early as 2013. These courses later developed into a postgraduate certification programme, in collaboration with the University of Suffolk and now co-delivered with the NCTCA.
Andy said: “I feel exceptionally proud and fortunate to be part of this service. Having only joined the team in 2019 and taken on my current role in 2023, I deserve very little credit for this achievement. That credit belongs to every member of the team, past and present.
“It also wouldn't be possible to deliver this service without the support of the wider diagnostic imaging team. Looking forward, I hope the team still has the same exemplary reputation for years to come. As much as I'm terrified of bringing about some sort of catastrophic downfall myself, I have every confidence in the team; they wouldn't let that happen.”
Without GI practitioner Heidi Finck and advanced GI practitioner Stephen Wilson, he continued, the service would not have been able to reach the height it has today.
Find out more about the work of the CT Colonography team at NWAFT online here, and more about the work of the NCTCA online here.
(Image: NWAFT CTC team, via NWAFT)