The AXREM Service & Operations Special Focus Group (SFG) is a well established forum for members who deliver installation, maintenance, and technical services across diagnostic imaging and therapy systems; essential components of a modern hospital’s infrastructure.
These services are not just operational necessities; they are critical to ensuring patient safety, clinical efficiency, and the long-term performance of vital equipment.
AXREM members provide these services as an integral part of their product offering, and the SFG exists to share best practice, address common challenges, and shape national standards. The group plays an active role in influencing UK policy and regulation, contributing to the development of frameworks that support safe, consistent, and high-quality service delivery across the NHS.
Strategic Priorities: Service & Operations Manifesto
In early 2025, AXREM published the Service & Operations Manifesto, which outlines the group’s core priorities:
- Safety First: Ensuring service practices directly support patient safety and clinical confidence
- Standardisation: Promoting consistent service protocols across NHS Trusts and suppliers
- Lifecycle Support: Advocating for whole-life equipment management, from installation to decommissioning
- Cybersecurity: Addressing digital risks in service environments and supporting secure system integration
- Collaboration: Working with NHS bodies, regulators, and Trusts to align expectations and improve outcomes
- Transparency: Supporting clear communication and documentation throughout service delivery
These priorities guide the group’s technical discussions and collaborative outputs, which include:
- UK regulations and compliance updates
- National standards and service frameworks
- Trust-specific requirements and feedback
- Cybersecurity protocols and risk mitigation
- Product recalls and safety notices
- Radiation equipment handover/hand back procedures
Nationally Recognised Resources
The group has published a number of resources and position statements that are now widely adopted across the NHS. Most notably, the AXREM Radiation Controlled Area and Equipment Handover Form Radiation Controlled Area and Equipment Handover Form – AXREM which has become a nationally recognised tool for ensuring safe transitions of responsibility for radiation equipment, supporting both compliance and clinical assurance.
All AXREM SFG activities are governed by a published code of conduct, with independent minutes produced for each meeting to ensure transparency and adherence to competition law.
To read more about this group click here
For example, when service and maintenance is being carried out on equipment it is essential that only the original equipment manufacturers approved products are used when replacement parts are required toguard against the use of non-compliant or counterfeit products being used.
AXREM and its Service Managers SFG have worked closely with other Trade Associations in the MedTech industry via the UK MedTech Forum to highlight the dangers associated with the use of non compliant or counterfeit parts and through the UK MedTech Forum are now liaising closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, MHRA, in helping to identify areas of concern and to build processes to ensure these parts do not enter the supply chain.
Another collective impact situation was highlighted to AXREM by the Health & Safety Executive, HSE, and related to the inconsistent approach to the abidance by hospitals to their obligation to undertake a formal hand over and hand back of radiation controlled areas and equipment. HSE were concerned amongst other things that the communication exchanged particularly when handing back equipment was not sufficiently detailed to enable equipment to be returned to use in the knowledge that the system would perform as expected. The use of hand-over hand-back forms was in use in many locations but each form was different, causing field service engineers’ to be reluctant to complete and sign the forms. Some of the forms lacked important details seen to be mandatory by the HSE. The solution identified was to act together as an industry body to create a form compliant with the HSE requirements and seek to gain acceptance for the “AXREM form” from hospitals. The benefits identified were:
1) The form was sure to meet the hospitals HSE obligations and satisfy the HSE.
2) Field service engineers would recognise the form and willingly complete it.
3) Any legislative changes would require only one form to be updated in the future.
4) A central, independent (WEB) location would enable customers to download a form and implement a hand-over hand-back system with minimal effort safe in the knowledge that the form had HSE sign off
5) In creating and promoting an industry agreed form the awareness of the hand-over and handback process would itself be promoted ensuring proper communication when hand over of equipment was undertaken
Whilst uptake by hospitals is not 100% the existence of an industry standard form is a big step forward and a testament to the tenacity and determination of the AXREM Service Managers SFG to work together for the for the benefit of the industry.
There are a number of other industry impacting issues on the Service Managers agenda, which are being discussed and they would welcome input from any other sectors of the industry on other matters of relevant concern.