About the Academy
The Christie PET-CT Academy is a leading centre of excellence for educating the full spectrum of professionals operating across PET-CT diagnostic services.
Part of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust the PET-CT Academy operates in partnership with Alliance Medical as part of the National Contract 1 (NC1) Molecular Imaging Collaborative Network (MICN), to provide a skilled workforce to meet ever-increasing patient needs across England.
Fighting Cancer with Innovative Partnerships
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust stands committed to delivering ground breaking care and saving lives through early cancer detection. This is where PET-CT scanning, facilitated by our highly skilled radiographers, plays a crucial role.
Recognizing the growing demand for this vital technology, we’ve teamed up with Alliance Medical to create a powerful network of talented and ambitious professionals. Together, we are working to ensure unmatched PET-CT scanning services across the UK.
Our alarming reality: The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) reports a 29% deficit in clinical radiologists, projected to worsen to 40% in just five years. This is where our transformative initiative enters the scene.
By making these professions more appealing and accessible, we’ll attract new talent and bridge the critical gap. The Christie, through the PET-CT Academy, proudly leads the charge in shaping the future of PET-CT expertise in the UK.
Investing in the Future of PET-CT: The PET-CT Academy
In 2015, NHS England selected a collaborative network led by Alliance Medical, partnered with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver PET-CT scanning services across 30 locations in England. This aimed to improve equity in patient access and ultimately, patient outcomes.
To further optimise infrastructure, The Christie as part of the National Contract 1 (NC1) network created The Christie PET-CT Academy to:
Develop and deliver exceptional training for all PET-CT professionals within the NC1 network.
Establish thriving Research Networks.
Accelerate the number of clinical trials.
The NC1 contract seeks to improve the patient journey when receiving a PET-CT scan to ensure the highest quality of care. The PET-CT Academy supports this by providing training and education to all staff associated with PET-CT services under NC1.
We empower professionals across the entire PET-CT spectrum – from radiologists to researchers – with first-class training and specialist education. Our passion lies not only in building exceptional clinical skills but also in fostering a vibrant research environment through facilitating an increasing number of research trials.
Our driving force is a multi-disciplinary team of experts. They hail from diverse backgrounds – Radiology, Medical Physics, Nuclear Medicine and The Christie School of Oncology – bringing their unique perspectives and expertise to bear on training development and delivery.
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
We are the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe treating more than 60,000 patients a year and the first UK centre to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre.
Based in Manchester, we serve a population of 3.2 million people across Greater Manchester and Cheshire while more than a quarter of our patients are referred to us from across the UK.
We are ranked as the most technologically advanced cancer centre in the world outside North America and have been named, by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to take part in clinical research studies.
We are part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) working with The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK. We are also one of 7 partners in the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC).
We established The Christie School of Oncology to provide undergraduate education, clinical professional and medical education – the first of its kind in the UK.
As part of the NHS, we provide:
- Radiotherapy, in one of the world’s largest radiotherapy departments and at our radiotherapy centres in Oldham, Salford and Macclesfield. We are also home to the UK’s largest brachytherapy service, and we are also the first NHS organisation in the UK to deliver high-energy proton beam therapy.
- Chemotherapy, in the UK’s largest chemotherapy unit, as well as via 13 other sites and in patients’ homes. We also provide prostate cancer community clinics at 5 different locations.
- Highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer. Find out more about surgery at The Christie.
- A wide range of support and diagnostic services.
Alliance Medical
Alliance Medical are the national contract holder for PET-CT, delivering 80% of NHS PET-CT services in England, leading the Molecular Imaging Collaborative Network (MICN) and manufacturing and distributing SPECT & PET radiopharmaceuticals at 5 UK sites.
Alliance Medical are continually investing in and improving access to digital PET-CT. They are leading the way in high-quality diagnostic imaging and for over 30 years have combined service excellence and innovation to improve patient access, experiences, and outcomes.
