Radiology

Our main Radiology Department at Harrogate District Hospital offers a range of imaging techniques, including:

• Plain film X-rays
• Ultrasound
• Nuclear medicine
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
• CT (computerised tomography) scan
• Mammography (X-rays of the breast)
• BMD (bone mineral density) scan

We also offer an Emergency Department X-Ray Service to take X-rays of patients who have been referred to us, either from the Emergency Department at Harrogate District Hospital or the Minor Injury Unit at Ripon.

Having an X-ray

Your experience will of an X-ray will vary according to the type of imaging technique being used, so please do explore this page fully and read your appointment letter carefully to ensure you know where you’re going and what to expect.

If you’ve been asked to attend the main Radiology Department, you will be greeted by a booking officer. The booking officers are responsible for allocating X-ray appointments for outpatients and GP patients, and deal with telephone enquiries from both patients and healthcare professionals. The booking officers liaise closely with radiographers and radiologists to ensure waiting times are kept to a minimum, and they will do their best to make you feel comfortable when you’re waiting for your X-ray.

If you’re undergoing an X-ray of your chest, abdomen, pelvis, or spine, you will be asked to undress and wear a hospital gown. You will also need to remove any jewellery which overlies the area being scanned.

Your examination will be undertaken by a radiographer or an assistant practitioner. Radiographers are not trained to read X-rays, and so once you’ve had your scan, it will be sent to a consultant radiologist or advanced radiographer for diagnosis.

If you’ve had an X-ray in the Emergency Department or dental clinics, it will be viewed immediately and the results fed back to you. Otherwise, the result is sent to the doctor or healthcare professional who sent it to you. This usually happens within five working days. We store all X-rays electronically so they can be viewed in other areas of Harrogate District Hospital by the referrer.

For all other examinations an appointment is required which will be sent out to your home address by the Booking Officer.  In some instances, it may be possible to arrange your appointment before you leave the hospital site. This can be done by visiting the booking office in the Radiology Department.

Opening hours

The Radiology Department at Harrogate District Hospital is open 365 days a year for the provision of emergency and inpatient services.

If you need to contact our booking officers, please call between 8.30am-5pm

An open access service is offered for GP and outpatient plain films (chest, abdomen, back, pelvis, limbs). The opening times for this service are:

X-ray facilities are available at Ripon Community Hospital between 8.30am-3pm on weekdays.

Referrals

We only accept X-ray requests from authorised referrers so you cannot refer yourself. Authorised referrers include hospital doctors, GPs, dentists and some specially trained nurses and physiotherapists.

GPs and healthcare professionals

The admin and secretarial team are the first point of contact for GP surgeries and other NHS hospitals regarding imaging reports. The Admin Manager is responsible for the main Radiology Information System, whilst the PACS Manager is responsible for the operational management of PACS (picture, archiving and communication system). Scans are stored digitally on this system to allow clinicians to view them from anywhere in Harrogate District Hospital. Please contact that PACS Manager if you need help using this system.