Most conversations with clinicians start the same way: how quickly can you see my patient, what will the report tell me, and how much work is it to set up? This is the practical answer, whether you refer one patient a month or you are looking at a service for a whole population.
Three ways to refer
Refer by phone, by email, or through our e-referral portal. Our referral centre is open seven days a week: Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8am to 4pm, closed on bank holidays. Call 01293 534 043 or emailenquiries@medicalimaging.org.uk. Practices that refer regularly use thee-referral portal, and a printed request form is still accepted where that suits your workflow.
What to include
A referral we can act on without ringing you back has: the patient's name, date of birth and contact details; the clinical question; relevant history; the modality, or leave us to triage it; urgency, whether routine, urgent or two-week wait; and the funding route, whether NHS, private medical insurance with the insurer and policy number, or self-pay.
What happens next
We triage the referral, book the patient into the most appropriate appointment, and confirm to both you and the patient. Most patients are offered an appointment within seven days. Scans are reported by subspecialist radiologists working in their own area, MSK, neuro, uro-radiology, cardiac and oncology, and most reports reach the referrer within one to five working days. Urgent findings are escalated without waiting for the report.
A report that describes what is seen adds limited value. A report that guides the next clinical decision is transformative.
Every report carries a clear recommendation and an onward route, not just a description of findings. You can see images and reports in our secure clinician portal at portal.medicalimaging.org.uk, wherever you are; contact the team to register.
Direct-to-test pathways
Where a pathway is agreed, patients can come straight to the test rather than waiting for an outpatient appointment first. We run direct-to-test pathways for MSK, prostate, memory, breathlessness and non-specific symptoms. Self-referral is available for selected scans at selected sites, and patients can request an appointment directly, although a referral is recommended.
Working together at service level
For organisations rather than individual referrers, there are four common routes. We are approved on the NHS SBS framework with direct call-off, so commissioning does not need a new procurement. Our mobile and modular fleet deploys staffed or unstaffed, so a trust can provide the staff and we provide the scanner, IT and governance, or we can run the whole service. Teleradiology is available as a complete managed reporting service under our own clinical governance with a full audit trail. And for private pathways we offer free clinic rooms at selected sites for partner clinicians, with revenue-share models.
Whichever route, clinical leadership stays with the system that knows its population. Our Chief Medical Officer and radiology leadership hold authority over clinical standards, and commercial decisions do not override clinical judgement.
In Wales
The established imaging unit in Swansea joins our network in 2026. Imaging is not new to South Wales: the service continues, and clinicians who already refer into it will keep doing so. If you would like to talk about referring, a pathway, research or sport in Swansea, use the form on the Swansea page.