Patients in Burnley and Rossendale are reaping the benefits of two new community diagnostic centres (CDC) which are exceeding all expectations when it comes to the number of patients being scanned.
Burnley CDC delivered 1,678 non-pregnancy related ultrasounds between April 1 and 30 July – a 194 per cent increase against their planned activity.
The CDC in Rossendale also delivered 4,479 MRI scans and non-pregnancy-related ultrasounds in the same period – 11 per cent over the predicted number.
The new Rossendale CDC became operational in October 2022 following a £1.2m investment from national funding allocated to reduce scan waiting times and bring services closer to patients’ homes.
Radiology Directorate Manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) Carol Wood said: “The Community Diagnostics Centres are instrumental in ensuring patients receive their scans as quickly as possible. This, in turn, means they can be diagnosed and treated sooner, or their minds put at ease if the results are clear.
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“The key to the CDCs’ success is the new state of the art equipment combined with careful planning of appointments. Different scans require different attachments to the scanners so we maximise on scanning time by grouping the same type of imaging together.”
Executive director of integrated care, partnerships, and resilience at ELHT Tony McDonald said: “A diagnosis of any illness can be devastating for individuals and their families. But thanks to the work of the radiology team, we have been able to provide more patients with the treatment they require more quickly, which will hopefully result in better outcomes for those receiving a diagnosis.”
Mr McDonald, who is also senior reporting officer for the Lancashire and South Cumbria diagnostics programme that has overseen the implementation of CDCs, added: “I would also like to urge patients to help us keep up this momentum by ensuring they either attend their appointment or cancel it if they are unable to attend, enabling the appointment to be offered to someone else.”
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