In this edition of our community diagnostic centre news roundup: reports from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network and NHS England on CDCs, our response to Lord Darzi’s landmark report into the NHS, and updates from CDCs around the country.
Landmark Darzi NHS report highlights need for investment in community care
A new independent report into NHS performance by Lord Ara Darzi highlights the significant troubles facing the NHS and the need to prioritise spending in community care and better technologies.
The report into the state of the NHS highlights that NHS budgets are underinvesting in the community and as a result impacting falls in productivity and performance.
“Since at least 2006, and arguably for much longer, successive governments have promised to shift care away from hospitals and into the community. In practice, the reverse has happened,” the report states.
“In the current paradigm, patients have a poorer experience, and everybody loses – patients, staff and taxpayers alike.”
Feedback Medical CEO Dr Tom Oakley, in a response to the report, echoed its finding that a shift to community-based care is key.
“In our sector, that means capital funding for technology enabling remote pathways, delivery in community and asynchronous working. There is no existing infrastructure to facilitate this transition, and it will need to be put in place before effective community-based care can be delivered,” Dr Oakley says.
Amongst it’s findings, the report recommends:
“Lock in the shift of care closer to home by hardwiring financial flows. General practice, mental health and community services will need to expand and adapt to the needs of those with long-term conditions whose prevalence is growing rapidly as the population age. Financial flows must lock-in this change irreversibly or it will not happen.”
Extending patient choice to CDCs could save over £500 million for public
A new report from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) says that extending patient choice and enabling independent providers to open new NHS community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England could save over £500 million for the public.
“It was originally envisaged that independent providers would play a key role in delivering the initial tranche of CDCs as a way of rapidly expanding testing and imagining capacity across the country, however, just 7% of these new community hubs are run by the independent sector,” IHPN says.
The report found that if one third of all current CDCs had been independent sector-led this would have produced a saving in capital spend of approximately £500 million.
NHS England report on the third year of CDCs and next steps
The NHS has released its report into the community diagnostic centres programme, now in its 3rd year, outlining the current state of the programme and next steps.
The report states that 165 of the approved 170 sites are now operational and have delivered over 9 million tests, chest and scans.
“The focus now is the full opening and development of these sites so that they, along with new investment in acute imaging and endoscopy services, can deliver up to 9 million tests each year by the end of 2024/25; and to meet the 6 primary aims of the CDC Programme,” the report states.
These aims include improved patient experience, support the integration of care, improved population health outcomes, increased diagnostic capacity, improved productivity and efficiency and reduced health inequalities.
In terms of next steps, the report states:
“We will focus on refining the revenue allocation process and support delivery of the maximum amount of activity to meet system performance needs. Together NHS England and systems will monitor and track delivery against allocated capital and revenue budgets and share best practice.”
Read the full report on NHS England
Visits to CDCs
Our NHS Partnerships Lead Richard Dulcamara continued his visits to more CDC sites across the country, including the site of the newly opened North Bristol CDC, and Sulis Hospital CDC in Bath, where they are building a new orthopaedic centre they hope will handle 3,750 non-emergency NHS cases per year. Find out more about these developments in our round up of news from elsewhere in CDCs below.
Find out more about Richard’s role in engaging with CDCs
Elsewhere in CDCs:
New Furness General Hospital diagnostic centre planned – BBC News
New endoscopy unit at Sulis Hospital near Bath to slash waiting lists | Bath Echo
Stockton High Street health centre work is on track | Darlington and Stockton Times