The independent regulator of health and adult social care in England CareQuality Commission has published its annual report.
The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations, known as IR(ME)R, were established in 2000 to ensure that there was a regulatory framework to support the radiological protection of the patient. Medical exposures, such as those used in diagnosis, treatment, research and screening should be individually justified and optimised. The regulations were established in 2000, with amendments in 2006 and 2011 and were enacted to satisfy Council Directive 97/43/EURATOM.
The purpose of this report is to update and share with healthcare professionals the findings from our inspections and notifications of exposures ‘much greater than intended’, and what CQC has found in relation to compliance with the regulations.
As with the previous reports, it provides a breakdown of the notifications of exposures much greater than intended that we received across the three medical radiation modalities: radiology, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy.
The data in this report only reflects notification activity since CQC was formed in 2009.