Point of care testing


management. These tools can accelerate clinical decisions by providing diagnostic results on site, improving patient outcomes through earlier interventions, with knock-on benefits for hospital laboratories and outpatient departments. They also enhance accessibility for individuals who face barriers to hospital attendance and promote better engagement with follow-up care, particularly for patients with chronic conditions. Crucially, risk-based stratification through POCT can guide more intelligent use of endoscopy, ensuring that invasive procedures are reserved for those who need them most. The combination of all these benefits can


lead to significant cost savings. For example, only 10 per cent of gastroscopy candidates tested using GastroPanel are actually identified as suffering from atrophic gastritis – the main risk factor for gastric cancer, meaning that 90 per cent of patients no longer need to undergo gastroscopy as a priority.11 from Beg et al.,12


Based on figures an estimated 200,000 stomach


gastroscopies may be performed in the UK annually, at a cost of £499 per gastroscopy,13


and


a total cost to the NHS of almost £100M a year. Performing frontline testing with GastroPanel – at a cost of £60 per test – could reduce the number of stomach gastroscopies required by 90 per cent, potentially saving the NHS an estimated £77.8M annually.11 The introduction of gastrointestinal and ENT


POCT could offer a pragmatic step forward for CDCs. They essentially offer an intermediate step before specialist care, where patients can be stratified based on their risks and need for further investigation within a community setting. By enabling early, non-invasive assessment, these tests can act as a bridge between the ambition of decentralised care and the practical realities of service delivery, expanding access, supporting workforce sustainability and improving patient pathways across the NHS. POCT facilities also require a fraction of the space that an endoscopy suite would need, making gastrointestinal diagnostic services more accessible in smaller CDCs.


A new model for gastrointestinal and ENT diagnostics The expansion of CDCs and adoption of POCT are redefining how diagnostic services are organised and delivered within the NHS. Decentralising access to high quality and cost-effective tests can help to reduce reliance on hospital-based pathways, easing pressure on acute services and improving access for patients who may otherwise face long waits or travel barriers. Although conventional invasive procedures – such as endoscopy – will remain


42 www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I May 2026


References 1. Independent Healthcare Providers Network. Dialling up diagnostics: The vision for Phase Two of Community Diagnostic Centres. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www. ihpn.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ CDC-report-summer-2024.pdf


2. NHS England. Community Diagnostics Centres. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www. hee.nhs.uk/our-work/cancer-diagnostics/ community-diagnostic-centres-cdc


3. NHS England. (2020) Diagnostics: Recovery and Renewal – Report of the Independent Review of Diagnostic Services for NHS England. https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/ diagnostics-recovery-and-renewal-report- of-the-independent-review-of-diagnostic- services-for-nhs-england/


4. GOV.UK (2025). Thousands more checks, tests and scans available out of hours. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/thousands-more-checks- tests-and-scans-available-out-of-hours


5. NHS England. (2024) Community Diagnostic Centres. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/ community-diagnostic-centres/


6. All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diagnostics. CDCs Unveiled: Challenges & Triumphs. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www. rcr.ac.uk/media/kiknoh1o/cdcs-unveiled- challenges-and-triumphs.pdf


7. Royal Devon University Healthcare. (2024). Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC). Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www.royaldevon. nhs.uk/media/qjzgmxcc/foi-rdf3039-24- community-diagnostic-centres-cdc.pdf 8. Royal Free London. (2025). Community


About the author


Graham Johnson is Managing Director (UK) and Head of Global Sales at BIOHIT HealthCare Ltd, the UK subsidiary of BIOHIT Oyj. With over 20 years at the BIOHIT Group, Graham combines a background in biomedical science with extensive industry experience to drive innovation in diagnostics and gastrointestinal health solutions.


an indispensable component of care, their limited presence in CDCs and lengthy waiting times underscores the need for alternative strategies that are both clinically sound and operationally sustainable. The integration of POCT within CDCs provides an agile and scalable means of enhancing early detection. These rapid, non-invasive assays support existing specialist services by identifying patients who require further assessment that would otherwise be held in a waiting list, while allowing lower risk cases to be managed closer to home. This approach not only accelerates clinical decision making but also supports more efficient use of workforce and infrastructure across departments. Ultimately, embedding innovative diagnostic


technologies into community settings aligns well with broader NHS priorities of accessibility and equity, helping to deliver faster, fairer and more patient-centred care.


CSJ


Diagnostic Centre. https://www.royalfree. nhs.uk/services/community-diagnostic- centre#Endoscopy


9. The Royal College of Pathologists. (2025). An update from England’s Community Diagnostic Centre Programme. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www.rcpath.org/resource- report/an-update-from-england-s-community- diagnostic-centre-programme.html


10. Nieto, H., Lee, J., Hall, C., and McDermott, A. L. (2024). The Otolaryngology Consultant Workforce in England: A Survey Update and Future Repercussions. Clinical Otolaryngology,49(5), 682-686.


11. BIOHIT HealthCare. (2022). GastroPanel – a cost-effective solution for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer risk. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://biohithealthcare.co.uk/ gastropanel-a-cost-effective-solution-for-the- early-diagnosis-of-gastric-cancer-risk/


12. Beg, S., Ragunath, K., Wyman, A., Banks, M., Trudgill, N., Pritchard, DM., Riley, S., Anderson, J., Griffiths, H., Bhandari, P., Kaye, P. and Veitch, A. (2017). Quality standards in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: a position statement of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS). Gut 66 (11):1886- 1899. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314109. Epub 2017 Aug 18. Erratum in: Gut. 66 (12):2188. PMID: 28821598; PMCID: PMC5739858.


13. NHS England. 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme. Accessed 4 December, 2025, at: https://www. england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs- payment-scheme/


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