Cornwall to get another new community diagnostic centre

Patients in Cornwall will benefit from another community diagnostic centre, helping our NHS deliver more care closer to home.

The site in Redruth will be one of 5 new state-of-the-art community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across the South West and will provide a range of different tests during a single visit. These will include CT and MRI scans, ultrasound scans, x-rays and endoscopy. When fully operational, the centre will deliver an extra 74,000 diagnostic tests per year.

The new CDC is easily accessible to the people of Redruth, Pool, Camborne, and the surrounding areas. The aim is to get patients to the right test in the right location as quickly as possible, with the fewest number of visits and referrals.

The diagnostic strategy is to have CDCs located away from acute hospital sites. This will allow the region’s main hospitals to focus more on complex cases and urgent and emergency care, meaning less chance of patients’ appointments being postponed at times of high demand.

Chris Reid, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “We are excited to press ahead with another new community diagnostic centre for Cornwall (CDC), that will be easily accessible to the people of Camborne, Pool, Redruth, and the surrounding areas.

“The CDC on Foundry Row in Redruth will contribute to an overall reduction in waiting times, elective recovery and referral to treatment targets, as our NHS focuses on its core priority of delivering more care closer to home”.

Service delivery

InHealth will provide the diagnostic testing and services. They were appointed the preferred bidder for the project, after a competitive procurement exercise by NHS England in the South West to find the best partner.

The procurement was carried out on behalf of integrated care boards (ICBs), as the best way of improving access and of bringing rapid increases in capacity and staffing.

The model is based on an integrated workforce, combining NHS expertise with that of InHealth.

Who are InHealth?

This is what InHealth says about its business: “InHealth is the UK’s largest specialist provider of diagnostic solutions. Our mission is to make healthcare better and we do this by working with hospitals and commissioners across the NHS and independent sector.

“With over 30 years’ experience, our flexible and dynamic approach is helping to meet some of health’s most pressing challenges – reducing waiting times, speeding up diagnoses, saving money and improving the overall patient experience.

“InHealth provide tests, scans and examinations for more than 4 million patients a year across the UK”.

Geoff Searle, Chief Executive at InHealth, said: “We’re thrilled about this partnership with NHS England in the South West, which will support in providing additional capacity, improving health outcomes and increasing the range, scale and accessibility of services for the local population.

“Through our state-of-the art facilities and with the latest in imaging and healthcare technology, we’re confident that the services provided in the community diagnostic centres and mobile facilities will be a huge boost for the local healthcare network and bring real benefits to patients”.