Thousands more scans and investigations are to be offered to NHS patients in Devon as part of a ground-breaking agreement for the NHS in the South West.
A new scheme will create a series of fixed and mobile diagnostic centres across the region, to speed up treatment, reduce waiting lists and provide care closer to home for people in remoter areas.
A state-of-the-art community diagnostic centre (CDC) will be opened in an accessible location in Torquay and provide a range of different tests during a single visit, reducing travel and the number of appointments for people who are waiting to be seen.
As well as providing x-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound scans, the CDC will offer, blood-tests, and other tests to assess heart and lung problems. The range of scans and tests the CDC can offer will help with the diagnosis and treatment of people with a range of conditions, from cancer to joint problems.
The new fixed CDC in Torbay is due to open in Market Street, Torquay, in spring 2024.
Dr Eileen Deakin, local GP and NHS Devon’s clinical lead for diagnostics, said: “We know it can be a worrying time when you need a test – the new centre will be in a convenient location and will help local people and clinicians get a faster diagnosis. Locating the centre in the community also helps our main hospitals to focus more on complex cases and on urgent and emergency care.”
InHealth has been appointed as preferred bidder for the project. The appointment was made following a ground-breaking competitive procurement exercise by NHS England in the South West. Normally, procurement processes are carried out by local systems or organisations, but in this case, the procurement was carried out on a large scale on behalf of integrated care boards (ICBs) across the region, as the best way of improving access and of bringing rapid increases in capacity and staffing.
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