GIRFT

Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is a national NHS improvement programme that aims to enhance patient care by reducing unwarranted variation across healthcare services. Working across more than 40 medical and surgical specialties, GIRFT identifies best practice, promotes innovation, and supports trusts to improve quality, efficiency, and patient outcomes. In Interventional Radiology, the programme is led by Alex Barnacle (Clinical Lead) and Gillian Kitching (Clinical Advisor). By collaborating with NHS trusts, Royal Colleges, specialist societies, and partner organisations, GIRFT uses data benchmarking and shared learning to drive service improvement, increase productivity and capacity, reduce unnecessary procedures, and ensure patients receive timely, equitable, high-quality care.

Further information:

• GIRFT Radiology Resources
• About GIRFT and Its Methodology
• Email: [email protected]

As we move into Autumn 2026, we would like to provide an update on the Interventional Radiology GIRFT Programme.

The review programme continues to make excellent progress. To date, 85 of the 122 planned site visits have been completed, with the remaining reviews scheduled over the coming months and the programme currently projected to conclude by March 2027.

A number of consistent themes are emerging across services, including workforce sustainability, advanced practice development, service capacity, infrastructure, recovery facilities, data quality, consumables management, and opportunities to improve patient pathways. These insights, together with examples of innovation and best practice, are helping to shape the national recommendations for IR services.

We would like to thank all colleagues who have supported the programme through questionnaires, site visits, peer reviews, presentations and follow-up discussions. The engagement and openness demonstrated by teams across the country have been invaluable and continue to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing IR services in England.

GIRFT clinical lead for Interventional Radiology

Alex is a paediatric interventional radiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London. Originally from Zimbabwe, she trained in the UK and Australia and has been a consultant at GOSH since 2006. Her main clinical interests are vascular anomalies, renal stone disease and interventional oncology.

Alex has a longstanding interest in service improvement and leads on several initiatives to develop paediatric IR within the UK and Europe. She is on the executive committee of The British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) and a member of the IR committee of the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR). She authored the RCR 2022 document ‘Improving Paediatric Interventional Radiology Services in the UK’.

She founded Paediatric IR UK, an annual multidisciplinary meeting for the sharing of paediatric IR knowledge and skills, and was the RCR-BSIR Travelling Professor for IR in 2018.

GIRFT clinical advisor for Interventional Radiology

Gillian is a radiographer with over 18 years of experience in Interventional Radiology at MFT, including previously as an Advanced Practice Radiographer performing vascular access and nephrostomy exchanges.

Since 2021 she has been the service lead at this busy IR centre and supports a team of 24 cross site radiographers.

Gillian is particularly interested in service improvement projects within IR and is passionate about utilising skill mix and enhanced roles for nurses and radiographers to improve patient experience and service efficiency.

She is an active member of several networks, including the Greater Manchester IR leads network, and is on the board for the Greater Manchester vascular network and a member of the GM vascular clinical steering group.

GIRFT national report for radiology (2020): Read Report

Guidance

• GIRFT diagnostics guide to support elective recovery (2022): View Guide
•  Good practice guide: Imaging support for procedures in theatre: View Guide
• Perioperative Support: https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk
• Guidelines for Nursing Care in Interventional Radiology (RCR): View Guidance
• GIRFT/NHSE Pre-assessment Guidance: Guide to Preoperative Testing (Local Anaesthetic)
• Safe Sedation Practice (AoMRC): View Guidance
• RCR Sedation, Analgesia and Anaesthesia in Radiology (3rd Edition): View Document
• BSIR and British Society for Haematology Bleeding Risk Guidance: View Guidance
• Improving Paediatric Interventional Radiology Services: View Report
• GIRFT Urology: Guide to Urgent and Emergency Care and Same Day Emergency Care: View Guide
• Scan4Safety: About Scan4Safety
• Medical Devices Outcomes Registry (MDOR): Learn More
• NHS England Digital Clinical Safety Strategy: View Strategy
• RCR Paediatric IR Cross-Skilling Course: Building Interventional Radiology Skills for Paediatrics

There are the supporting documents for each trust's GIRFT visit. These were sent to each trust's GIRFT lead at the time of the initial invitation to join the GIRFT project, to be disseminated to the IR team. For ease of reference, they can also be found below.