The announcement that HM Treasury will invest £5.9 billion in the NHS to help tackle the elective backlog and transform diagnostic services has been welcomed by Trust leaders. However, concerns about workforce issues and staff shortages have been raised as needing a “long-term vision, not quick fixes”, says NHS Providers.
In an effort to address the Covid-19 backlog of people waiting for diagnostic tests, the Treasury outlined that there will be “at least 100” Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across England, including the 44 already announced by the Department of Health and Social Care in October 2021. Of the 44 centres committed to, 32 will be established outside London and the South East, boosting diagnostic capacity. CDCs will be the new “one-stop-shops” for checks, scans and tests (such as MRI, CT scans, ultrasound and more) benefitting patients who can access earlier diagnostic tests closer to home.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are establishing a framework agreement for NHS organisations to award contracts to a range of diagnostic providers following the tender which expired at the end of July 2021 – you can read our earlier blog on the contract notice here.
If you would like to discuss the CDC programme do get in touch with Rhian Vandrill and Charlotte Lewis – we have extensive experience of advising businesses in this sector. And most recently, advised SYNLAB on various aspects of its new partnership to transform pathology services in South East London, including helping to formulate the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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