AXREM’s Imaging IT Special Focus Group (SFG) brings together leading industry members who provide enterprise radiology IT solutions across the UK healthcare landscape. Our member companies and their employees work side by side with Consultant Radiologists, Radiographers, and Clinicians to enable the delivery of advanced, patient-centred care.
Drawing on deep sector knowledge and technical expertise, AXREM promotes best practice and innovation rooted in real-world clinical experience.
Members of the Imaging IT SFG possess unique insight into the daily workflow and challenges faced by healthcare professionals. This enables them to design and deliver solutions that enhance the speed, accuracy, and quality of diagnostic procedures and treatments with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.
The group focuses exclusively on Radiology Information Systems (RIS), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Vendor Neutral Archives (VNA)/deconstructed PACS, and associated diagnostic imaging applications requiring integration. These technologies form the backbone of modern imaging services and are critical to safe, efficient, and interoperable care delivery.
Recent Activity and Strategic Priorities
In April 2025, the Imaging IT SFG published the AXREM Imaging IT Manifesto, a sector-wide declaration of intent to drive innovation, safeguard data, and support clinicians through smarter, more integrated technology.
The manifesto outlines key priorities:
- Cybersecurity: Championing robust protections to ensure safe digital healthcare environments
- Workflow Efficiency: Streamlining systems to give clinicians more time with patients
- Accessibility & Innovation: Promoting inclusive, forward-thinking imaging solutions
- Policy Advocacy: Engaging with NHS bodies to shape supportive, future-ready frameworks
- Technology Integration: Enabling seamless adoption and interoperability across platforms
- Standards & Quality: Upholding high standards in imaging IT performance and governance
The Imaging IT SFG also works closely with the AXREM AI Special Focus Group to ensure alignment across digital diagnostics, particularly where AI tools interface with core imaging systems. Together, these groups are shaping the future of radiology IT: one that is secure, scalable, and centred on clinical excellence.
Special Focus Group Membership:
The Imaging IT Special Focus Group (SFG) is formed of industry members who offer enterprise radiology IT solutions within the healthcare market. These members have unique knowledge and insight into image management, clinical workflow and the day-to-day challenges faced by healthcare professionals.
The SFG work alongside Radiology clinicians to advance medical IT capabilities and deliver “best-practice” healthcare within radiology by developing innovative solutions – improving the speed and quality of diagnostic procedures and treatments. For the avoidance of doubt, this group focuses exclusively in the areas of RIS, PACS, VNA/deconstructed PACS and associated diagnostic imaging applications which require integration therein.
Cyber Attack Group
Our association and members recognise that in the modern world, the threats of cyber-attacks to their businesses, the NHS and other systems their medical devices are connected too, are real. Following discussions between our members at our Special Focus Groups, AXREM have created a cyber-attack group, and this is a terms of reference for the group meeting and how the response and communications will be co-ordinated in the event of a cyber-attack.
Read the Terms of Reference for this group here: Cyber Attack Group Terms of Reference
To read more about this group click here
Members of the SFG represent companies that provide Radiology Information Systems (RIS), Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS), Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) and other related medical IT solutions.
A RIS is a networked software system for managing diagnostic imaging workflow from patient registration to production and distribution of clinical reports. A RIS consolidates radiology imaging information for record keeping and billing and is connected to a number of systems including scanners and PACS and VNAs to manage image archives.
A PACS allows a healthcare organisation to capture, store, view and share all types of images internally and externally. It enables diagnostic medical images to be stored electronically and viewed on computer screens, helping to optimise the diagnosis process. PACS also includes advanced visualisation and quantification tools to support fast clinical diagnosis.
A VNA in a health information technology context, is an enterprise data management technology used by healthcare professionals that stores images, videos and documents in a standard format, making patient data accessible through different clinical viewers. VNA allow users to consolidate, standardise and archive data from different clinical systems into a single, easily accessible and interoperable repository. VNAs are used to reduce silos of storage dedicated to individual clinical systems and facilitate cross-document sharing and exchange.