Six new community diagnostic centres to deliver more than 500,000 lifesaving checks a year
Additional community diagnostic centres, backed by £2.3 billion in
government funding, will help cut waiting lists New
centres will open in regions across the UK including
East of England, Midlands and South East offer diagnostic
tests for hundreds of thousands of patients closer to home
106 centres are already up and running in a variety of
settings including shopping centres and university campuses, and
the programme has...Request free trial
Tens of thousands of patients across the country are set to benefit from six new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) opening this year – with the ‘one-stop shops’ due to deliver more than 500,000 additional tests, checks and scans a year. Cutting waiting lists is one of the government’s key priorities and the six new CDCs will offer patients a wider range of diagnostic tests closer to home, reducing the need for hospital visits and getting them the care they need sooner. Regions including the East of England, Midlands and the South East will benefit with all new centres open to patients before the end of the year – with the government investing £2.3 billion to deliver up to 160 across England by 2025. The new centres include:
Following a referral from a GP or consultant, patients will be able to get their symptoms checked much closer to home and receive a diagnosis for a range of conditions such as cancer, heart or lung disease, rather than travelling to hospital. This is not only more convenient for patients, it is also more efficient for staff and will free up clinician time to help further cut the waiting lists. So far, 106 community diagnostic centres are open across England, including three temporary sites, in a variety of settings including shopping centres and university campuses, and the CDC programme has delivered over 3.8 million additional tests, checks and scans since July 2021. 32 other facilities are due to open before the end of the year. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I have pledged to cut waiting lists and these new Community Diagnostic Centres will do exactly that. By offering checks, tests and scans closer to home, we can speed up the diagnosis of illnesses like cancer and heart disease and ensure patients get their treatment quickly. “These centres revolutionise the way the NHS delivers care and crucially, they are saving lives.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay
said: “They have already made a huge difference, delivering nearly four million tests, checks and scans since the programme started in July 2021, helping to deliver on the government’s commitment to cut waiting lists.”
Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS Medical Director for Transformation,
said: “These new CDCs will continue to increase access to care by providing vital scans, X-rays, endoscopies and blood tests closer to patients’ homes, building on the progress we have already made to drive down the longest waits and diagnose cancer earlier.”
Further action to cut waiting lists and offer patients quicker access to healthcare include the government’s publication of its Primary Care Recovery Plan which will get rid of the 8am rush for GP appointments, enable patients to get prescriptions and medication directly from a pharmacy without a GP appointment, free up around 15 million GP appointments over the next two years and improve patient access to their own medical records through the NHS App. |