Issue 80 - Belfast BT4 • BT5 • BT16
Improvement in planning processing times promised Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has welcomed improvement in processing times for planning applications during 2024/25.
L/R: Chukwuebuka Madubuko (Radiographer), Fiona McCloskey (Consultant Radiologist), Simon Cliffe (Senior CT Applications Specialist, Heartflow), Hilary Brownlee (Radiographer), Kerry Filmer (Radiographer) & Charis McNabney (Consultant Radiologist)
SOUTH EASTERN TRUST RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT RECOGNISED WITH PRESTIGIOUS HEARTFLOW QUALITY AWARD FOR THIRD TIME
The Department of Radiology within the South Eastern Trust has been awarded the esteemed HeartFlow Quality Award for Excellence in Coronary CT Imaging, marking the third time the team has received this prestigious recognition. The department previously earned the award in 2021 and 2024 underscoring its sustained commitment to delivering exceptional cardiovascular imaging services and prioritising patient-centred care.
The HeartFlow CT Quality Award recipients are selected based on metrics that evaluate the quality and implementation of a practice’s cardiovascular imaging program. The HeartFlow Analysis is an innovative
approach that transforms data from a patient’s noninvasive coronary CTA into a personalized, digital 3D model of the patient’s coronary arteries. This advanced technology leverages sophisticated algorithms
and analytics to provide detailed insights into coronary artery disease, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
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Commenting on the latest statistics Minister Kimmins said: “My Department has been working collectively over the last two years with local government and other stakeholders to deliver the Planning Improvement Programme with the aim of enhancing and making a tangible difference to the planning system in the North. “Significant progress has been achieved so far and I now welcome the improvement in processing times for both local and major applications in 2024/25. It is particularly pleasing to see a significant improvement in the average processing times for major applications which has seen its lowest annual processing time since the transfer of planning powers in 2015
and a decrease of 6.9 weeks compared with 2023/24. “Recently I also hosted a round table event in Belfast entitled ‘Plan to Improve: Pathway to Progress’. The event brought together a variety of organisations from across business, education, public sector, environment, Councils, and legal professions to encourage open and collaborative dialogue on the planning system. The event discussed many of the key current themes particularly relating to the performance and resilience of the planning system for the future and my officials are now considering the diverse perspectives, discussions, views, ideas and key messages from the event to help inform and prioritise future actions.”