Patients in England given more access to crucial health checks out of hours | NHS
The government said that patients in the UK can reach more important tests such as MRI scans and endoscopies on the evening and weekends.
There are 170 CDCs operating in the UK, usually in shopping centers, football stadiums and university campuses. Patients can access through a referral from GPs or clinical teams in hospitals.
The government revealed that 100 CDC is open 12 hours a day and that it is open for seven days a week – the increase of 37 CDCs with these opening times in July 2024 – hopes that the service will allow patients to allow more and faster access to patients.
The more appropriate maintenance movement is part of the government’s change plan aimed at transforming health services and making NHS suitable for the future.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This government is determined to provide health services that match the lives of working people, not in any other way.
“We meet with the patients they need the most by extending working hours for community diagnostic centers and putting patients in the first place for community diagnostic centers.”
The government also undertakes to build more CDC in 2025-26 and plans to extend the opening hours for all CDCs in the evenings and weekends.
He said Latest data NHS showed that from July 2024 to June 2025, more than 1.6 million tests and scanning compared to the previous year.
Astthma + Lung UK General Manager Sarah Sleet welcomed the expansion of the opening times for CDCs.
“It is very important for facilitating people to access tests close to home and to improve their diagnosis rates for lung conditions,” he said.
“Taking an early and accurate diagnosis is necessary to treat and manage the lung condition, may lead to a decrease in hospital assumptions and even prolong their lives. We hope, this focus on neighborhood diagnoses, faster diagnosis of lung conditions, the third largest murderer of England, a lack of access next to a historical test.
Blood Cancer UK Senior Policy Manager Laura Challinor welcomed the expansion of out -of -clock appointments, but said that blood Cancer was the third largest cancer killer in England and that survival rates are behind similar countries.
“We would like to see the commitment to end regional variation in diagnostic test applications, including complete blood count (FBC) tests and scheduled diagnostic tests developed for non -specific symptoms so that CDCs can provide the most benefit to people with blood cancer.
Radiographs Association Professional Policy General Manager Charlotte Beardmore, CDCs offer better access to routine imaging research to patients, CDCs through timely diagnoses, patients needed to access treatment earlier, he said.
However, Beardmore said that the position and long -term opening hours of CDCs may facilitate the participation of patients, while an increasing request for imaging means that the government should invest in radiography labor force.
“This means investing in new NHS broadcasts for radiographs to enable all CDCs to offer talent, flexibility and a range of services for patients in local societies,” he said. “CDCs can’t work without radiographs.”
