Diagnostics
NHS with regards to performance, progress and innovation. Every patient who uses these services should have access to the best possible medical technology and innovation currently being used on the NHS.”2,3
Using MedTech to drive efficiency Some CDCs have reported significant benefits and improved efficiency following investment in the latest MedTech. Utilising a share of £11.3 million funding awarded by the National Accelerator Systems Programme (ASP) in May 2021, the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter was transformed into a diagnostic community hub, or CDC, to help tackle the backlog across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. An extensive, clinically led redesign
programme turned the hospital into a state-of- the-art facility, offering a range of orthopaedic, ophthalmology, diagnostic and rheumatology services to the local community. The transformation of the hospital included
much-needed investment in the latest medical imaging and diagnostics technology. The ultrasound service department went from just one ultrasound room equipped with an existing scanner, to four outpatient scanning suites – three for general ultrasound and one combined for musculoskeletal (MSK) – each installed with the latest state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging equipment from Canon Medical Systems UK. The fleet of Aplio i800 Prism Edition
machines provide a high level of detail for precision scanning in general, and particularly for gynaecological and MSK examinations. The Canon Medical equipment is installed with advanced applications including contrast enhanced ultrasound, shear wave elastography and Superb Micro-vascular Imaging (SMI) to enhance image quality. SMI’s level of vascular visualisation, advances diagnostic confidence when evaluating lesions, cysts and tumours, improving patient outcomes and experience. Jane Baker, Principal Sonographer at the NHS
Jane Baker, Principal Sonographer at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter.
Nightingale Hospital Exeter, comments; We have already seen improved productivity, with faster examinations and more accurate diagnoses due to superb image quality. Patient feedback has also been positive with the speed of referral from the GP to an appointment being recognised by patients as ‘quick’ and ‘efficient’.” Since the latest installation of ultrasound
systems, the capacity of the ultrasound department at the NHS Nightingale Hospital has grown and has been able to serve three times as many patients this year compared to last year – 1,138 patients in August 2023 compared to 379 in August 2022 – reducing the local NHS patient waiting list down to less than two weeks. The success of the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter is helping support peaks in demand for diagnostic imaging and is creating the opportunity to address patient backlogs in other areas of the Southwest, including at its partner site in North Devon. Jane Baker adds, “With improved image
quality, diagnostic confidence has increased greatly across the sonography team, leading to more efficient diagnoses and improved patient throughput. The technological and ergonomic design features have proven essential in providing a service that offers optimum diagnostic quality and supports the ultrasound team in a busy out-patient setting.”
Conclusion The CDC programme is the largest central cash investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS. Ultimately, CDCs have the capacity to improve population health outcomes by diagnosing health conditions earlier, faster and more accurately. However, as these reports suggest, there are some barriers that must be addressed to ensure they deliver on the government’s ambitions – concerns persist around unequal geographic distribution, funding constraints, staffing levels, and investment in technology.
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