FAQ & Patient Guides

We operate a cancellation policy for all our imaging services. We require 24 hours’ notice should you wish to cancel or reschedule your appointment. All pre-paid appointments that are cancelled at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment will be refunded or rescheduled at no cost to the customer. In the event of a missed appointment, failure to cancel 24 hours or more before the scheduled time, or a no show, a cancellation will be levied equal to 50% cost of your scan.

We accept both self-funding and insured patients, as well as patients referred by the NHS, embassies and Medico-Legal companies.

All patients require a referral/from a doctor in order to undertake any diagnostic scanning at our Centre. This is to ensure that the correct investigation is performed to answer the diagnostic questions of your medical practitioners.

We are covered by most major insurers including: Aviva, AXA, Bupa, Cigna, Healix, Simply Health, WPA, and Vitality.

A member of the Imaging Team will ask you a health and safety questionnaire before your scan to ensure you meet the criteria to have a scan and to minimise any risks. They will also explain the scanning experience to you and answer any questions you may have.

Some scans may require the injection of an intravenous contrast agent in order to obtain diagnostic information. There is a small risk of an allergic reaction or even anaphylaxis as there is with any medicine or substance. Our medical team is trained to deal with such rare events should this happen.

Ultrasound and MRI scans have no radiation exposure but CT scans do expose the patient to a relatively small dose of x-ray (ionising radiation) and so before having a CT scan your referring doctor will have assessed the risks and benefits of you having a CT scan. We are fortunate to have a very new and fast CT scanner and so high-resolution images can be acquired with a much smaller dose of x-rays than in the past.

After booking your appointment you will receive the relevant patient information guide by email or post. Our patient information guides are also available to view and download from our website here.

When you arrive for your scan a member of our Imaging Team will take you through the health and safety protocols and questionnaires relevant to your scan.

We do our utmost to make sure our patients feel comfortable and at ease during their scans. You are welcome to bring one person with you inside the MRI scanning room provided they meet all health and safety protocols. However, in the case of a CT scan, no one else is allowed in the scanning room since it is an x-ray scanner and the x-ray exposure guidelines do not allow this.

You do not need to wear special clothing. At the time of your scan you will be provided with a gown to change into, which helps to ensure clear scanning images.

In the case of MRI scans, all metal, including jewellery and credit cards, is prohibited due to the powerful magnet in the scanning machine. The radiologist will check that you have removed anything containing metal prior to your scan to ensure all health and safety protocols are met. You will have access to a locker for storing your belongings during the scan.

In the case of CT scanning again you will be provided with a gown to wear and it is important to remove any metal as this can interfere with the images.

Please discuss this with our team before you come for your scan if you have any sort of metal implant.

In the case of MRI, it is important not to take ferrous metals into the scanning room as these can be magnetised and can also heat up. Fortunately, the majority of metal implants are now made of metals that are MRI safe and so you can be safely scanned. Most joint replacements for example are made from tungsten-based metals. If you have an implant it is important to discuss this with the radiographers well before your scan so that we can assess the safety of your implant for MRI. Generally speaking, we are unable to scan patients with cardiac pacemakers. Cardiac stents are generally ok but discuss with our team. If you have a metal heart valve we need to know as we have a very powerful MRI scanner and would need to check the MRI safety of the valve first.

In the case of CT, metal implants are generally not an issue as there is no magnetic field but please discuss with our team before you come if you have a metal implant as your safety is our first priority at all times and metal can degrade a CT image.

Ultrasound is perfectly safe and metal implants are not a concern.

If you are pregnant or could be pregnant please let us know before you come for your MRI or CT scans.
Ultrasound is thought to be completely safe in all stages of pregnancy and is a key part of modern antenatal care.
MRI is generally best avoided in the first trimester of pregnancy although it is thought to be safe and so whether to have an MRI in the first 3 months of pregnancy will depend on discussions with your clinician and radiologist and the balance of risks versus benefit.

CT scans are generally best avoided completely during pregnancy in view of the radiation exposure risk and would only be undertaken in cases where the benefit outweighs the risk.

On arrival for your scan, the radiographer will go through the detailed journey of your scan so you know exactly what to expect. You may experience some loud noise from the scanning machines; for which we provide headphones playing your choice of music. An injection is only required if your scan involves a contrast injection - this information will be provided to you when you book your appointment.

The length of time the scan takes depends on which scan you are having and if you are having multiple body parts scanned. Please check with our bookings team when you book your appointment and they will be able to advise how long your scan will take.

Yes, following your scan the radiologist will provide you with a CD of your image scans to take away with you.
Should you require an additional CD, a £16 charge will be applied.

Please note that, unless specifically requested by your referring doctor or consultant, we do not usually issue non-private patients with CDs.

Our expert radiologists provide a detailed report for each scan.

If you have been referred by the NHS your scan may be sent back to your referrer who will report the scan.

Your results will be sent to your referring clinician between 24-48 hours after your scan.

We are committed to ensuring that people with disability and their families and carers are not discriminated against in any way and that they have access to the full range of services, facilities, and information we offer.

If you have a disability and are visiting UME Health for an appointment or treatment, please let us know before you attend so we can discuss what support you may need.

Telephone: 0207 467 6190
Email: bookings@umegroup.com