NHS community diagnostic centres speed up access to testing, research shows
Patients are getting vital tests such as X-rays and scans faster thanks to the NHS’s rollout of a network of community diagnostic centres (CDCs), the health service’s patient advocate has found.
The 160 CDCs currently operating across England have been opened in recent years to help patients get tested and diagnosed faster than if they were to visit their GP or local hospital.
Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch England, who investigated patients’ experiences of using a CDC, said: “Our research shows that patients have positive experiences of using community diagnostic centres, with timely, more personalised and convenient care. Most of them received tests more quickly and so had clarity about their diagnosis sooner.”
The research found that most people appreciated the speed of service, the easy access to locations and the service they received, with 87% saying they had a positive experience.
CDCs are located in shopping malls, health centers, and local hospitals, rather than in physician offices or acute care hospitals. This makes them more accessible.
NHS England set up the CDCs to tackle the increasingly long waits for tests such as CT and MRI scans, as well as non-obstetric ultrasound scans and echocardiograms, which have skyrocketed in number post-Covid.
The NHS constitution says patients should not have to wait longer than six weeks for a diagnostic test, but the health service has failed to meet that target for years. Currently, 21% of patients have to wait longer than six weeks to be seen.
Dr Bernie Croal, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said CDCs could save lives. He said they brought “real benefits to patients with faster, easier access through a one-stop shop, leading to earlier diagnoses, better outcomes and lives saved”.
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: “Too many people are waiting too long for the tests, scans and treatments they need, often in pain or discomfort. So increasing diagnostic capacity, reducing waiting times and cutting journey times by making them more convenient is essential to tackling the backlog in care.”
According to a report from the CDC, about 7 million tests are performed annually and that number is expected to increase to 9 million next year. Nuffield Trust analysis of their performance.
Thanks to a CDC at the Mall in Wood Green, north London, opening in 2022, the NHS’s North Central London Integrated Care Board has reduced the wait time for patients to exceed six weeks to just 9%. That’s less than half the national average of 21%.
Dr Jo Sauvage, the board’s medical director, said the centre’s location in a busy shopping centre had improved access to healthcare for the poorest people locally, with 77% of diagnostic tests carried out there having been on people from the most deprived groups.