A new radiopharmacy suite at Castle Hill Hospital in Hull is set to expedite treatment for patients with cancer by offering crucial diagnostic tests sooner.
Radiopharmacy suites are highly controlled facilities where radiopharmaceuticals are prepared to be used for medicines, diagnoses and treatments. The suites are specifically designed to limit radiation exposure and restrict unnecessary access due to the nature of the radioactive materials.
Patients from Hull, East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire who require nuclear medicine scans to confirm a diagnosis will be supported by the new suite and go on to receive treatment earlier. This differs from the previous arrangement, which required diagnostic equipment to be delivered from elsewhere.
Castle Hill’s pharmacy team created radiolabelled diagnostic tracers in collaboration with the physics and imaging departments in the Nuclear Medicine Service and staff from the Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC).
Karen Bunker, group head of imaging services at the NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “This really is a fantastic milestone and reflects a huge amount of effort, perseverance and collaboration across all teams.”
Since the closure of the radiopharmacy unit at Hull Royal Infirmary over two years ago, radioactive diagnostic kits were delivered from Sheffield Teaching Hospital, more than 60 miles away. However, using an external firm caused delays and affected the number of patients who could receive the diagnostic tracer due to the “half-life” of the radioactive materials used in the tests.
Now, the tracers are made from pharmaceutical products that contain a radioactive substance located at Castle Hill Hospital.
James Hargraves, group associate chief pharmacist in pharmacy operations at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said the suite was a collaborative effort and had resulted in kits being produced on-site: “This significant achievement was made possible by the dedication of a team comprising colleagues from the MIRC facility, Pharmacy, and the Nuclear Medicine Service.
“The team developed and implemented a training and validation plan to bring the suite into operation and are now able to prepare a limited number of kits onsite three days a week.”