By Tia Cole
An NHS funding boost has improved access to a new diagnostic centre in Gloucester offering X-rays, MRI, CT, ultrasound, ECHO and DEXA scanning to patients. It is set to open in Gloucester next autumn.
The Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (ICS) are working together to oversee the development of the centre which will be offering diagnostic tests in a more convenient location much closer to home.
In an interview with OneGlos, Dr Andy Seymour, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said:
“Our local teams have been working really hard to bring scans and tests back up to pre-pandemic levels, and this new investment will really help us to work through COVID-19 backlogs and speed up access to life-saving tests.
Receiving a fast diagnosis is vital in treating a host of conditions, including cancer, as early as possible. Making it easier and quicker for patients to get the tests and scans they need will help to detect conditions sooner and give patients the best possible chances of recovering.
If a patient requires more than one type of scan, the centre will aim to provide these in one visit to reduce travelling and waiting times for diagnoses.”
The centre aims to help the country’s two main hospitals by reducing the number of appointments they provide, which will enable busy hospital staff to focus on providing care and should lead to fewer cancelled appointments.
In an interview with OneGlos, Simon Lanceley, Director of Strategy at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who is leading the programme, said:
“This centre is great news for patients across the county as it means we can increase diagnostic capacity by investing in new, high-quality facilities, equipment and staff.
This will help us to improve both our productivity and efficiency by seeing a greater number of patients more quickly and diagnose conditions earlier, faster and more accurately.
Patients will also have a more personalised and convenient experience as we plan to increase the number of one-stop clinics where patients are able to access a range of tests and see their specialist team at the same appointment.
We also hope this new centre will help us to attract and retain more health professionals within Gloucestershire, boost morale and bring higher levels of job satisfaction.”
The new centre is set to open in phases, CT and MRI services will be operational by March 2023, with the full range of services available from Autumn 2023.
