Patients across Liverpool will benefit from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home thanks to investment in a new testing centre at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The Trust has secured a share of £350m national funding to be one of the first 40 new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) announced by the Government and NHS.
The new Community Diagnostic Centre on the Liverpool Women’s Hospital site will provide essential diagnostic tests for people across the local area as well as further reducing some of the current clinical challenges Liverpool Women’s Hospital encounters by giving its patients direct access to more diagnostic services on site, without having to be transported to other locations.
Eva Horgan, Chief Finance Officer at Liverpool Women’s, said: “This new investment will provide essential diagnostic tests to patients in the local area whilst also supporting Liverpool Women’s patients to get access to tests on site that were not possible before.”
The centres will help achieve:
- earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms.
- a reduction in hospital visits which will help to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission; and
- a contribution to the NHS’ net zero ambitions by providing multiple tests at one visit, reducing the number of patient journeys and helping to cut carbon emissions and air pollution.
The new Community Diagnostic Centre at Liverpool Women’s will deliver tests for local people over the coming months, starting with X-rays, non-obstetric ultrasounds, as well as cardiac and respiratory diagnostics including ECGs and echocardiograms. These services are anticipated to be provided by March 2022, followed by CT and MRI scans which are planned to be delivered during 2022/23.
Liverpool Women’s has been awarded initial funding of over £5m for this programme. When completed, the new centre on the Liverpool Women’s Hospital site will provide tests for a range of patients across the city and will see the Trust working collaboratively with other providers to deliver services. The centre will be developed in conjunction with the Crown Street Enhancements Programme and regular updates will be shared with staff regarding the plans over the coming weeks and months.
There are still some details to confirm such as what the new centre will be called, plans for the actual development phases of the centre, and exact timescales for when services will start to be delivered. So please keep a look out for more information over next few weeks.
To find out more about the Government’s 40 Community Diagnostic Centres CLICK HERE.