For health professionals

Positron Emission Tomography / Computed Tomography (PET/CT)

Fixed site PET/CT service | Mobile PET/CT service | Referral pathway

Fixed site PET/CT service

Referral process

Since December 2008, a new fixed site PET/CT service has been available at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. It will complement the service provided by the mobile PET/CT scanner.

The new facility is fully equipped and has the ability to provide PET/CT with diagnostic contrast enhanced CT, and PET/CT with radiotherapy planning. Facilities are also available to provide cardiac and paediatric imaging. Such facilities are not available on the mobile PET/CT service.

Referrals are taken on those clinical indications that fall outside the Eastern Specialised Commissioning Group’s authorised list where funding is available from individual departments or hospitals. Private referrals are welcome.

For referral outside East of England Primary Care Trust, please use Form 2 PET/CT referral request if your local hospital/ primary care trust is happy to fund the study.

A referral form can be downloaded below:

Form 2 - PET/CT referral request (296KB)

Currently this fixed site service is available 5 days a week depending on clinical need.

If there is any further query, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Tel: 01223 349 222 (PET-CT unit)

Please send referrals to:

add-tr.petctrequest@nhs.net

or post to:

PET/CT

Box 220

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Hills Road
Cambridge

CB2 0QQ

Mobile PET/CT service

Referral process

Since April 2008, a PET/CT service has been provided by an independent sector provider called InHealth. This is part of the Department of Health PET/CT South Diagnostics Scheme. The aims of the service are to provide equal access to PET/CT across the region for NHS patients and to help achieve national NHS cancer care pathway targets. InHealth has been providing a weekly service throughout the region on their mobile scanner.

Cambridge - based on the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site every Monday except Bank Holidays when the service will be provided on a Thursday.
Norwich - based on the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital site every Tuesday.
Colchester - based on the Colchester General Hospital site every Tuesday.
Basildon - based on the Basildon University Hospital site every Wednesday.

Patients will be able to decide which site they prefer. There is also a choice of having the study done in London. If the list is full on one site, the patient will be offered an alternate site or the scan could be delayed until the following week depending on the clinical urgency. Patients or the referring hospitals are responsible for organising their transport.

A referral form can be downloaded below:

Form 1 - InHealth NHS PET/CT diagnostic imaging service - referral request (815 KB)

Referral guidance (1.13 MB)

Due to the restricted service, the Strategic Health Authority/Eastern Specialised Commissioning Group has agreed to fund the following list of clinical indications:

Appendix A - Eastern Specialised Commissioning Group - clinical indications (12KB)

For those indications under the Discretionary ARSAC approval only please discuss the case with one of the ARSAC certificate holders. They can be contacted via the PET-CT unit Tel: 01223 349 222. An audit form for such indications will need to be completed and forwarded to the commissioner.

Audit of discretionary scans - form (92 KB)

For any indication outside this list, funding will need to be sought from the Eastern Specialised Commissioning Group before referral is made:

Form 3 - Eastern Specialised Commissioning Group - exceptional circumstances submission (135KB)