Seven new community diagnostic centres will open to help tackle the COVID backlogs, diagnose patients more quickly and meet future demands on the NHS, the Health and Social Care Secretary has announced.
The centres will offer a range of diagnostic checks, scans and tests closer to home. Following a GP referral, patients can get their symptoms checked and receive a potentially life-saving diagnosis for a range of conditions such as cancer, heart and lung disease more quickly. The new facilities will also relieve pressure on NHS staff ahead of a potentially challenging winter.
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‘Since taking on the role of Health and Social Care Secretary, I have been focused on clearing the COVID backlog and waiting times. Community diagnostic centres are a vital part of our plan to transform the way we deliver tests, scans and x-rays and ultimately reduce waiting times for patients,’ said Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay.
‘Along with speeding up diagnosis times, they will also help tackle health disparities – ensuring that people get treated as quickly as possible no matter where they live, with new centres opening from Essex to Manchester.’
According to the DHSC, the centres reduce the number of hospital visits and reduce waiting times for patients by diverting people away from hospitals – so hospitals can focus on treating urgent patients while the diagnostic centres focus on tackling the backlog for tests and checks. They are more convenient for patients and more efficient, with patients less likely to have their tests cancelled.
‘These 7 ‘one-stop shops’ are the next step in our elective recovery plan and a welcome addition to the 92 existing community diagnostic centres, which have already delivered more than 1.7 million tests and checks in just over a year,’ said NHS national director of elective recovery Sir James Mackey.
‘Our elective recovery plan set out how the NHS will deliver 9 million more tests and checks a year by 2025 and the work of these diagnostic centres, some in convenient spots including shopping centres, are excellent examples of the innovative work being done across the health service to ensure patients get the tests and checks they need as quickly as possible.’