What's happened so far?
National CDC Programme background
Demand for diagnostics has been increasing steadily over the past decade and since the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a significant increase. Diagnostics is recognised as a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan.
As a consequence of Covid-19 and the increase in diagnostic waiting times, the Richards Review was commissioned. A key recommendation of the review was the development of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to provide separate, dedicated locations for carrying out planned diagnostic procedures.
The CDC programme began in October 2021 and the national ambition is that all CDCs are built and operational by March 2025. CDCs are one project in a wider National Diagnostics Transformation programme which aims to meet the recommendations set out in the Richard’s Review.
Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board worked collaboratively across the system to establish three CDCs across the four main place geographies – Warwickshire North, Coventry, Rugby and South Warwickshire. Coventry and Warwickshire’s three main acute providers are the host organisations for the CDCs.
Locally
Oct 2021
In the months leading up to October 2021, the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System worked to prepare a bid to secure funding to support the development of Community Diagnostic Centres. The teams in the system worked together to look at what the future demand for diagnostics might look like and to identify the greatest needs in our population.
- £7.7M INVESTMENT FOR COMMUNITY DIAGNOSTICS IN COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE - Happy Healthy Lives
- 40 community diagnostic centres launching across England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Aug 2022
Warwickshire North CDC welcomes its first patients as phase 1 of its CDC development is completed.
- Community Diagnostic Centre | George Eliot Hospital Nuneaton
Feb 2023
The NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire secured £34 million worth of funding for the development of Community Diagnostic Centres.
- NHS GIVEN £34M BOOST TO DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES IN COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE - Happy Healthy Lives
May 2023
Work is now underway to develop the NHS Paybody building on the City of Coventry Health Centre site into a dedicated CDC.
- Activity begins to develop Community Diagnostic Centre to accelerate care for Coventry community - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire
November 2023
The new Endoscopy Unit, which forms part of the Rugby Community Diagnostic Centre, opened to patients at the end of November. The unit is set up to treat up to 50 patients per day and provide quicker, more efficient access to vital endoscopy diagnostic procedures.
Running parallel to all of this
CDC programme funding supports increasing diagnostic capacity across the system while permanent sites are under development.