The Government has announced that community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now offering more weekend and evening appointments, in an expansion to out-of-hours testing.
From this month, 100 centres are operating 12 hours a day, seven days a week, which the Government said was opening up access and speeding up diagnosis for patients.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) added that the expansion has helped to improve cancer diagnosis, with 76.8%, or 218,463 people having cancer ruled out or diagnosed within 28 days in June, the highest June since the standard was introduced.
It gave the example of Oldham CDC where the lung cancer diagnosis time has reduced from 42 days to 18.8 days.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘This government is determined to offer healthcare that fits around working people’s lives and not the other way around.
‘From early morning MRI scans to late evening blood tests, we’re meeting patients where they need it most by extending the operating hours for community diagnostic centres and putting patients first.
‘Our 10 Year Health Plan is revolutionising how healthcare works, and this achievement is a vital step in bringing care closer to community. Delivering on our Plan for Change, we’re building an NHS that’s fit for the future.’
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, added: ‘We know people are living incredibly busy lives and it’s vital NHS care reflects that.
‘The services provided by community diagnostic centres enable people to receive the all-clear or a diagnosis at a time and location that suits them – whether before a school drop-off or after a work shift – and extending their opening hours means more people are being seen more quickly.’
In response to the news, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘We welcome this announcement as NHS leaders know first hand that community diagnostic centres (CDCs) can help speed up access for patients, further improve efficiency within the NHS, and reduce hospital pressures.
‘They also know they can help to cut waiting times, enhance early diagnosis, and tackle health inequalities and are a great example of why investing capital to boost modern equipment and estate is vital.’
He added that having these services available 12 hours per day, seven days per week, would be ‘key’ and it will ‘be important to have the staff available to manage the CDCs and form multidisciplinary teams to help with patient care’.
It comes as the Health Foundation has warned the NHS has remained under ‘relentless pressure’ over the summer, despite it often being a time for it to ‘catch its breath’.
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