Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty involving the administration of radioactive pharmaceuticals for the diagnosis of disease processes.

It is best at providing information of system function rather than pictorial anatomical images.

Radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive isotopes bound on to different pharmaceuticals) can be administered in a variety of ways by injection, inhaling or ingesting them.

The most common isotope for Nuclear Medicine imaging is Technetium 99m which has a half- life of 6 hours (this refers to the decay in activity which means that every 6 hours there is half as much as we started with) but we do use isotopes that have slightly longer half lives.

These tracers accumulate in the organ of interest where they emit gamma rays, these are then detected by equipment called a gamma camera giving us the information we require to help with diagnosis. The gamma camera resembles a CT scanner and is attached to a computer which gives quantitative and imaging data.

The scans we perform are very varied and they can take from a few minutes to hours or scanning over several days.

www.patient.co.uk provides some useful information on what to expect when attending a Nuclear medicine appointment. 

Nuclear medicine is a specialist service and is only provided in the Brunel building at Southmead Hospital.

If you have received an appointment or have been referred for a scan you are welcome to contact the department and we will explain your procedure for you.

Please feel free to contact the Imaging Contact Centre if you would like to change your appointment time.

It is very important that you let us know if you cannot keep you appointment as we order the radioactive pharmaceuticals especially for you and they can be very expensive. If you do not then attend the isotope is wasted.

The Imaging department provides a number of non-obstetric ultrasound services within North Bristol NHS Trust in both the Hospital and Community setting.

This includes:

• Abdominal
• Pelvic
• Renal
• Testicular
• Musculoskeletal
• Head and Neck examinations

In addition to this we also provide services for the Early Pregnancy Unit based at Southmead Hospital.

A range of Outpatient and GP Ultrasound services are provided at Cossham Hospital, Clevedon Hospital, Yate West Gate Centre and Southmead Hospital.

Acute services and some specialist services are based exclusively in the Brunel building at Southmead Hospital.

Opening hours vary however most Outpatient and GP services are provided 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday with a 7 day service for acute admissions. Some evening appointment times are available for Outpatient and GP appointments.

Please feel free to contact the Imaging Contact Centre if you would like to change your appointment time.

NHS provides some useful information on what to expect when attending an Ultrasound appointment. 

A computerised tomography (CT) scan uses X-rays and a computer to create detailed images of the inside of the body.

CT scans are also sometimes known as CAT scans, which stands for computerised axial tomography. NHS provides some useful information on what to expect when attending for a CT appointment.

 

The Imaging department provides a number of CT services within North Bristol NHS trust in both the Hospital and Community setting.

A range of Outpatient and GP CT services are provided within the Brunel building at Southmead and at Cossham Hospital.

Opening hours vary however most Outpatient and GP services are provided 8am – 8pm Monday to Thursday and 8am – 5pm on Friday.

Please feel free to contact the Imaging Contact Centre if you would like to change your appointment time.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.

An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. You lie inside the tube during the scan.

 

The results of an MRI scan can be used to help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess how effective previous treatment has been. NHS website provides some useful information on what to expect when attending for an MRI appointment. 

The Imaging department provides a number of MRI services within North Bristol NHS trust in both the Hospital and Community setting.

A range of Outpatient and GP MRI services are provided within the Brunel building at Southmead Hospital and at Cossham Hospital.

Opening hours vary however most Outpatient and GP services are provided 8am – 9pm Monday to Thursday and 8am – 8pm on  Friday. We also offer appointments on a Saturday and Sunday. Please feel free to contact the Imaging Contact Centre if you would like to change your appointment time.

X-rays are a type of radiation. They're similar sources of energy to light. However, light has a much lower frequency than X-rays and is absorbed by your skin. X-rays have a higher frequency and pass through the human body.

As X-rays pass through your body, energy particles called photons are absorbed at different rates. This pattern shows up on the X-ray images.

The parts of your body made up of dense material, such as bone, show up as clear white areas on an X-ray image. The softer parts, such as your heart and lungs, show up as darker areas. NHS Choices provides some useful information on what to expect when attending for an X-ray.

The Imaging department provides a number of X-ray services within North Bristol NHS Trust in both the Hospital and Community setting.

If you have an appointment letter from North Bristol NHS Trust, please check in using the self check-in kiosks before proceeding to Gate 18.

GP X-Ray appointment
If your GP has asked you to attend for an X-Ray in most cases they will have made the request electronically and you will not need to bring a request form with you.

From Monday 27 July 2020 you will be required to contact our appointment line to agree a location and time for your X-Ray.

X-Ray Imaging can be provided at:
Cossham Hospital - Monday to Friday 8,15am - 4.30pm
Southmead Hospital, Brunel Building, Gate 18 - Monday to Friday 8.15am - 7.30pm
Yate West Gate Centre - Monday to Friday 8.30am - 7.30pm and Saturday/Sunday 10.30am - 5.30pm
North Somerset Community Hospital, Clevedon - Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and Saturday/ Sunday 10.30am - 5.30pm

 

The Imaging Department at North Bristol NHS Trust is a very busy department that offers a wide variety of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic investigations.

We receive referrals from the local community, from other hospital teams and other hospitals in the region. The Imaging Department performs 402,000 examinations per year.

Our appointments are in demand and therefore if you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible, as another patient will be able to take your cancelled appointment time.

You can also contact the Imaging Department Contact Centre if you wish to change or wish to discuss your appointment.

To cancel or rearrange your appointment, please telephone us on 0117 414 8989.

The Imaging (X-Ray) Department at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) provides a large range of diagnostic services on behalf of local GPs and other medical units within the Trust, including:

• General X-ray
• MRI scan
• CT scan
• Ultrasound
• Nuclear Medicine
• Interventional Radiology/Fluoroscopy

Every year we carry out over 402,000 examinations ranging from simple GP requests, via our walk-in service, through to complex diagnoses working with our regional specialties including Neurosciences, Orthopaedic and Renal (kidney).

We have over 250 staff, including consultants, radiographers, nurses, imaging department assistants and administrators, based across Southmead Hospital Bristol, Cossham Hospital, Yate West Gate Centre and Clevedon Hospital.

Referrals Information

How to refer inpatients: All inpatients should be referred on ICE, using the designated referral form.

A person can only be referred for a swallowing assessment on ICE if the person’s medical team agree with the referral and if the need for the referral is documented in the person’s medical record.

How to refer outpatients: Information about criteria for referral to the Speech & Language Outpatient department and an electronic referral form can be found here: https://remedy.bnssgccg.nhs.uk/adults/speech-language/slt-hospital-outpatients/  

Alternatively, a referral letter can be sent stating the reason for referrral, current problems, relevant medical history and any known risks can be sent to Speech & Language Therapy Department, North Bristol NHS Trust, Level 2, Cossham Hospital, Bristol, BS15 1LF.

Referrals for people with communication difficulties can be accepted directly from the person themselves and/or their carers. Referrals for people with new swallowing difficulties should be made by a Doctor or member of the multidisciplinary team e.g. physiotherapist or specialist nurse, but self-referrals for swallowing problems can be made if the person has been previously known to our NBT Speech & Language Therapy service. 

Outpatient appointments can be arranged at Southmead Hospital Bristol and Cossham Hospital or people can be seen at their home in the community if this is necessary.

This course delivers the underpinning knowledge to support candidates in the development of specialist practice in clinical neuropsychology. The content provides the Knowledge and Skills component of the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) syllabus for those who want to undertake the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology. This course is one of only three courses nationally offering this training.

The course is based upon an established academic partnership between Bristol University and North Bristol NHS Trust. The Academic Partnership was set up specifically to support this new course and represents a formal linkage between the Department of Experimental Psychology within Bristol University, and the Department of Neuropsychology within North Bristol NHS Trust; institutions with records of clinical and academic excellence.

The Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology course has a strong scientist-practitioner ethos where candidates will refine their skills in understanding and applying the scientific evidence base to their practice. It is intended that candidates completing the course will have a firm contemporary knowledge of Clinical Neuropsychology practice as well as the skills to maintain this high level of knowledge throughout their careers. In designing the course we aim to be academically robust, contemporary and clinically relevant. We aim to train candidates who are knowledgeable, scientist-practitioners, confident and capable in assessment and rehabilitation / treatment within neuropsychology, who use evidence based tools, techniques and approaches, and are able to continue to learn and develop throughout their careers in Clinical Neuropsychology.

The course is jointly directed by Dr Kit Pleydell-Pearce, Senior Lecturer in Neuropsychology within Bristol University, and Dr Martin Bunnage, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist within North Bristol NHS Trust. It is guided by a program management group consisting of the two Directors, the Partnership Director, Dr Ingram Wright, the Assistant Director Dr David Turk, and the Head of the Department of Experimental Psychology, Professor Jan Noyes and the Head of the Department of Neuropsychology, Dr Ingram Wright.

The Post Graduate Medical Education (PGME) Department provides education, training and support to junior doctors working across North Bristol NHS Trust and GP trainees working in the Severn Deanery area.

We offer a range of services from management of the induction process, core teaching programmes, management of study leave for doctors in training, multi-professional human factors and simulation training as well as pastoral advice for trainees requiring additional support.

Training includes foundation year doctors, core medical and specialty trainees, as well as supporting Staff Grade and Associate Specialist doctors.  The total number of doctors in training at North Bristol NHS Trust is approximately 450, including Trust grade doctors.

We work with teams from across the Trust to support the development and delivery of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety projects, and provide support and resources for a variety of multi-disciplinary training events such as theatre team and ‘point of care’ simulation training.

Members of the department regularly present their work at regional, national and international meetings and conferences, including the ‘National Association of Clinical Tutors’, ‘Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare’ and ‘Association for the Study of Medical Education’ events.

Work has been presented on themes ranging from development of a foundation simulation programme, delivery of ‘point of care’ simulation, development of a quality improvement network and use of video capture for consultation training.