This episode of AXREM Insights focuses on the current state of the UK stroke pathway, featuring insights from Michelle Dalmacio of the Stroke Association. The discussion highlights the scale of the challenge, with over 100,000 strokes each year and growing demand placing pressure on services. While effective treatments such as thrombectomy can significantly improve recovery and reduce disability, access remains inconsistent, with only a small percentage of eligible patients receiving it and limited 24/7 availability across centres. The conversation explores how workforce shortages, regional inequalities, and gaps in community rehabilitation continue to impact patient outcomes, reinforcing the need for coordinated national action.

Alongside these challenges, the episode emphasises the opportunity for innovation to transform stroke care. Advanced imaging, AI-driven decision-making, and tele-radiology are presented as key tools to support faster diagnosis, better triage, and more equitable access to specialist treatment. The importance of the full care pathway is a central theme, particularly the role of rehabilitation and community support in long-term recovery. The episode also underlines the importance of public awareness, encouraging recognition of stroke symptoms through the FAST test and stressing that stroke is a medical emergency where rapid action can save lives and improve outcomes.

View our State of the Stroke Pathway paper here

The RCR Conference takes place on the 29th and 30th of June 2026 at the QEII in London. you can find out all about it here. Don't forget to ask about AXREM member discounts

Thanks for listening to this week's episode

To find out more about AXREM check out our website HERE
If you are interested in joining AXREM as a member CLICK HERE
To contact us CLICK HERE

And join us next time for more insights from industry.

In this episode of Axrem Insights, CEO Sally Edgington is joined by Holly Ruddock, Jack Bond and value-based procurement expert Brian Mangan, CEO of Luach Consulting Group, to unpack what value-based procurement really means for the NHS and industry. Moving beyond buzzwords, the panel explores how procurement can shift from a narrow focus on price to a broader assessment of patient pathways, long-term outcomes, efficiency gains and environmental impact. At its heart, value-based procurement is about delivering tangible, measurable benefits that improve care while making smarter use of limited resources.

The discussion tackles common barriers including siloed budgets, data access, cultural resistance and the perception that value-based approaches cost more. The panel highlights the growing policy momentum behind the agenda, including pilots and increased focus on outcomes, and makes the case that now is the time for suppliers to build evidence, develop case studies and reframe conversations with procurement teams. For AXREM members and NHS stakeholders alike, this episode offers a practical and optimistic look at how collaboration, communication and better questions can unlock real system-wide value.

AXREM Value Based Procurement Paper

The RCR Conference takes place on the 29th and 30th of June 2026 at the QEII in London. you can find out all about it here. Don't forget to ask about AXREM member discounts

Thanks for listening to this week's episode

To find out more about AXREM check out our website HERE
If you are interested in joining AXREM as a member CLICK HERE
To contact us CLICK HERE

And join us next time for more insights from industry.

In this episode of AXREM Insights, Melanie Johnson and guest host Anna Vaughan are joined by Linda Carruthers, Head of Oncology Physics at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, to explore how patient safety in radiotherapy has evolved and the challenges it now faces. Linda reflects on the major technological advances that have transformed radiotherapy safety, alongside a cultural shift towards openness, learning and true multidisciplinary working. She highlights how end-to-end testing, human factors thinking and a no-blame culture have become essential in identifying risks early and embedding safer practice across the entire patient pathway.

The conversation also looks ahead, examining the pressures of rising demand, increasing treatment complexity and rapid technological change, including the growing role of AI. Linda stresses that patient safety depends on combining innovation with human expertise, careful governance and collaboration across clinical teams, suppliers and organisations like AXREM. The episode reinforces the importance of shared learning, standardisation and partnership in ensuring that safety improvements are not only discussed, but consistently implemented for the benefit of patients across the NHS.

The RCR Conference takes place on the 29th and 30th of June 2026 at the QEII in London. you can find out all about it here. Don't forget to ask about AXREM member discounts

Thanks for listening to this week's episode

To find out more about AXREM check out our website HERE
If you are interested in joining AXREM as a member CLICK HERE
To contact us CLICK HERE

And join us next time for more insights from industry.