In this edition of our community diagnostic centre news roundup: pledges from the Conservative party to create additional CDCs ahead of the general election and responses from the Society of Radiographers and the Kings Fund to key election pledges, as well as updates on several CDCs around the country.
Pledges for additional 50 community diagnostic centres among election manifestos
Ahead of next week’s general election, the Conservative party has pledged an additional 50 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to deliver 2.5 million additional checks annually.
Amongst pledges for significant recruitment and improvements to GP services, the Conservative party also outlined plans to utilise AI and the digitisation of NHS processes through the Federated Data Platform.
Meanwhile, the Labour party has pledged an extra two million NHS operations, scans and appointments annually. The Labour party has outlined a New Hospitals Programme to pool resources across neighbouring hospitals, introduce shared waiting lists and using spare capacity from the independent sector.
Read more about the party manifestos and what they could mean for the future of the NHS on Medscape:
The Society of Radiographers calls for workforce planning and proper funding priorities ahead of election
The SOR director of industrial strategy Dean Rogers said that “While investment in AI or new CDCs may grab headlines, waiting lists will not come down without a realistic workforce plan and proper funding.”
Highlighting the significant shortages in the radiology and radiography workforce, Rogers said that investment in technology is “very welcome” but is not enough alone to impact waiting lists without support for the radiography workforce.
The SOR continued that whilst Community Diagnostic Centres can speed up diagnostic processes and cut waiting lists, without additional money for staffing they must draw on existing staffing pools, which leaves hospital acute departments “chronically understaffed”.
“As the general election approaches, politicians of all parties need to think realistically about how to ensure that our hospitals emerge from crisis and become once again places where NHS workers are fairly treated and patients receive the care they need, when they need it,” Rogers said.
Read the SOR’s recommendations
Kings Fund welcomes Conversative party pledges around expansion of CDCs
The Kings Fund welcomed the Conversative Party’s manifesto pledges around bringing care closer to the community, including the expansion of CDCs.
However, Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of the think tank suggested that whilst this is the “right direction of travel” the actions outlined in the manifesto to achieve this shift “fall short of the challenge”.
“Building 100 new GP surgeries and modernising an additional 150 would be good news for some patients but is a drop in the ocean of what is needed to improve access in primary care,” Woolnough said.
Commenting on the other NHS pledges within the manifesto, Sarah added:
‘Elsewhere, the manifesto includes some positive health and care policies such as more community diagnostic centres, re-committing to delivering the New Hospital Programme, and ramping up productivity. The pledge that the NHS will be meeting all waiting time standards by the end of the next parliament is certainly ambitious, but the manifesto lacks detail on how this monumental task would be achieved.”
“Overall, the NHS pledges in the Conservative manifesto are a welcome collection of initiatives, but they don’t add up to the transformational change needed to improve performance and reverse the downward trend of public satisfaction in the NHS,” Woolnough said.
In other CDC news:
BBC News: Application submitted for Coventry NHS diagnostic centre
Hereford Times: Decision on new community diagnostic centre for Hereford
The Argus: Diagnostic centre at Southlands Hospital to expand
Building Better Healthcare: New £24m Community Diagnostic Centre in North Bedford set to enhance patient care
Sussex Express: Bexhill Hospital to get more than half-a million pounds of new equipment