PET-CT

Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan, is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. Nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose, evaluate or treat a variety of diseases. These include many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine or neurological disorders and other abnormalities. Because nuclear medicine exams can pinpoint molecular activity, they have the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages. They can also show whether a patient is responding to treatment.

The exact scope of NHS England’s commissioning responsibility is set out in the Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services.

This service area is supported by a National Speciality Advisor, Dr Wai-Lup Wong.

Service specifications

Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The specifications have been developed by specialised clinicians, commissioners, expert patients and public health representatives to describe both core and developmental service standards. Core standards are those that all funded providers should be able to demonstrate, with developmental standards being those which may require further changes in practice over time to provide excellence in the field.

The following service specifications fall within the scope of PET-CT:

Clinical Commissioning Policy Statements

Policy statements are brief documents that define the current commissioning position to support service contracting.

The following policy statements fall within the scope of PET-CT: