University College London Hospitals (UCLH) has updated its imaging alerts and notifications policy to strengthen the timely communication and management of significant radiology findings.

The policy brings the trust in line with national guidance and refines alerts to three categories of actionable findings: critical findings, new or suspected cancer diagnoses and significant addenda where a revised interpretation may alter clinical management.

For GP-requested imaging, UCLH imaging teams will notify external referrers of new cancer alerts and significant addenda through established notification processes.

Critical findings requiring immediate action will continue to be communicated directly by telephone in addition to electronic alerts, while new cancer findings and significant addenda are expected to be acknowledged and acted upon within five working days.

The policy reinforces the responsibility of requesting clinicians, including GPs, to review, action, and communicate imaging results to patients, while supporting this through enhanced safety-net mechanisms designed to reduce the risk of missed or delayed follow-up of important radiological findings.

For any queries, contact the imaging secretaries.