More than six million tests, scans and health checks have taken place at community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across the country, helping speed up diagnoses and treatments for NHS patients.
A total of 6.1 million checks were carried out at CDCs as of November 2023, since they were first introduced in July 2021. Based in a variety of settings including shopping centres, university campuses and football stadiums, 141 of the diagnostic centres, including four temporary sites, are already open - including 40 brought forward earlier than planned. They offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are treated, reducing the need for hospital visits and helping them to receive potentially life-saving care sooner.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said: “The government’s £2.3 billion community diagnostic centre programme is the largest investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS. Placing high-tech equipment in places like shopping centres and near football stadiums makes it simpler for patients to get the care they need, as quickly as possible. We have now opened 141 CDCs across England, with more to come, and they are playing a vital role in faster diagnosis of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.”
The programme, backed by £2.3 billion, constitutes the largest central cash investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS and we are on track to meet our target to open 160 CDCs by March 2025, with many due to open ahead of schedule.
Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS Medical Director for Transformation, said: “Thanks to the hard work of staff, latest data shows the NHS has delivered a record 25.9 million tests and checks over the past year - two million more than the previous 12 months, and almost 50% more than a decade ago - helping ensure patients get the all-clear or diagnosis, so they can be treated for a range of conditions as quickly as possible.”
As a result of the success of the CDC programme and the wider measures outlined in the elective recovery plan, the government met its target to virtually eliminate waits of over two years and has cut 18-month waits by over 90% from the peak in September 2021.
In November, the government also provided £800 million - a combination of reprioritised and new funding - to mitigate the impact of industrial action.
It is also maximising independent sector capacity to reduce waiting times for NHS patients. A number of the CDCs are run by the independent sector but available to NHS patients as part of the programme.
