Since the start of the national Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) Programme in 2021 which aimed to support the backlog of elective care and provide quicker diagnostic services closer to home, Community Health Partnerships (CHP) has been working collaboratively with national and local NHS teams to deliver CDC facilities across the NHS LIFT portfolio.
Nationally there are 160 (correct at the time of publishing) CDCs across England in which 10 of these are within the CHP estate.
The £2.3billion programme is transforming the delivery of diagnostic services to many patients across local communities. Earlier in the year the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that more than 7 million tests, checks and scans have been delivered across England as a result of the programme.
CHP has played a pivotal role in the delivery of CDC’s and are proud to have contributed to this successful milestone.
To date, CHP’s 10 operational CDC sites have delivered more than 300,000 additional tests, checks and scans, benefiting many patients. The success of these projects is a testament to both private and public sector teams who have worked collaboratively to support the programme and as a result improve patient health outcomes across communities.
Community Diagnostics Centres across CHP
Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre
An early adopter of the model can be seen at Finchley Memorial Hospital, which opened in July 2021. The building was identified by the local ICS, due to its flexibility, allowing it to be opened quickly and cost-effectively.
Since its inception, it has matured into a multi-modality CDC, which includes services such as CT and MRI and has delivered more than 200,000 diagnostic tests for local patients.
The ambitious programme was also recognised at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards, with the project winning the Bronze award for Healthcare Infrastructure Project of the Year.
Washwood Heath Community Diagnostic Centre
In the Midlands, a £2.18 million CDC was also successfully delivered at Washwood Heath Primary Care and Wellbeing Centre in July 2023, it was also the first CDC to be operational in the Birmingham and Solihull locality. The service will enable the delivery of an additional 45,000 diagnostic tests, scans and checks a year, as well as complementing other health services being delivered from the centre including GP services, outpatient services such as physiotherapy, a Primary Care Hub, Urgent Treatment Centre, and a pharmacy.
Across other regions, some CHP sites built on their existing infrastructure to enable the delivery of diagnostic services, further supporting the backlog of elective care and provide quicker diagnostic checks closer to home.
CHP has successfully delivered:
10 operational CDC’s delivered across the CHP portfolio
300k+ additional tests, checks and scans delivered across CHP CDC sites
Circa £55m CDC capital invested, of which £17m is for building alterations
Improved utilisation across the LIFT portfolio by repurposing circa 1000m2 of void space
Get support from CHP
Get in touch with your CHP Regional Director to find out how they can support diagnostic services in high-quality, modern, core NHS facilities for patients in their local communities.
