Milton Keynes north MP celebrates NHS diagnostic milestone
Ben Everitt says 2 community diagnostic centres on their way to the area will 'transform local healthcare'
Ben Everitt, MP for Milton Keynes North, is lauding the success of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), which have have emerged as a pivotal force in advancing healthcare. It comes as over six million tests, scans, and health checks have been conducted nationwide.
Introduced in July 2021, CDCs have become instrumental in expediting diagnoses and treatments for NHS patients. The latest data reveals that 6.1 million checks have been carried out as of November 2023, underscoring the impact of these centers in providing accessible and efficient healthcare solutions.
Local MPs, Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart, successfully secured two CDCs for Milton Keynes last year. The first, situated in Whitehouse, is already operational, with another in Central Milton Keynes in progress. These centers offer a diverse range of diagnostic tests, allowing patients to receive timely care closer to home and reducing the necessity for hospital visits.
Ben Everitt, expressing his delight, stated, "Our new Community Diagnostic Centre in Whitehouse is helping to deliver an extra 52,550 tests, checks, and scans a year, ensuring patients can receive a diagnosis and care as soon as possible."
"It's fantastic that more than 6,000,000 tests, checks and scans have taken place at community diagnostic centres across the country and it will help us ensure that patients get the all clear all the diagnosis and the treatment that they need sooner.
"We've secured 2 community diagnostic centres for Milton Keynes. The one in White House is already up and running and capable of delivering over 52,000 more tests, checks and scans every year and we've got another coming.
"This is the largest investment in MRI and CT scanning in the history of the NHS"
The significant £2.3 billion investment by the government in the Community Diagnostic Centre program marks the largest cash injection in MRI and CT scanning capacity in NHS history.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins emphasized the importance of placing high-tech equipment in easily accessible locations such as shopping centres and near football stadiums, simplifying patient access to essential care.
Referrals to CDCs are initiated through general practitioners, and healthcare staff employ state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including CT scanners and MRI scanners, to identify a range of health conditions. Early diagnosis remains a critical factor in preventing severe outcomes, and the program is on track to meet its goal of opening 160 CDCs by March 2025.
Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS Medical Director for Transformation, praised the dedicated efforts of healthcare staff, highlighting that the NHS has delivered a record 25.9 million tests and checks over the past year. This accomplishment has played a pivotal role in ensuring patients receive timely diagnoses and treatments for various conditions.
The success of the CDC program, coupled with broader measures outlined in the Elective Recovery Plan, has enabled the government to meet its targets, virtually eliminating waits of over two years and reducing 18-month waits by over 90% since the peak in September 2021.
In November, the government allocated £800 million, a combination of reprioritized and new funding, to mitigate the impact of industrial action and enhance independent sector capacity to reduce waiting times for NHS patients.