Issue - meetings

The Board received a report from Lucy Gardner, the Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHSFT, which provided an update on Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s plan for the provision of a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Halton.

Further to the NHS Long Term Plan, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that it was making significant funding available for the creation of Community Diagnostic Centres and invited applications for funding from NHS Trusts.  It was announced that the Trust was successful in its bid to secure an allocation of new capital and revenue funding to develop a CDC on the Halton site.

It was reported that the plan would be delivered in three phases:

·         Phase 1 – Fast Track Community Diagnostic Centre (this was already fully operational since June 2023;

·         Phase 2 – Community Diagnostic Centre in Halton Health Hub in Runcorn Shopping City – to be operational in November 2023; and

·         Phase 3 – New Build Community Diagnostic Centre at the Trust’s Halton site – to be fully operational in October 2024. 

Members were advised that the CDC scheme would support improvements in population health outcomes across Halton and Warrington, through the creation of increased diagnostic capacity to support earlier diagnosis of conditions such as cardiac and respiratory disease or cancer.   It would also significantly improve access to diagnostic services in one of the most deprived areas of Cheshire and Merseyside and will help address a number of stark health inequalities that were visible within the local population.  The additional benefits of the CDC were discussed and the fact that the creation of the CDC was on the Halton site was welcomed.

The additional information below provided clarification following Members questions:

·         The Community Diagnostic Centre in Runcorn Shopping City would include an outpatient Sleep Study Service, which patients would be referred to by their GP or other healthcare professional – it was noted that there were currently long waiting lists for the service;

·         The outpatients appointment telephone line had been addressed in relation to frustrations with patients being on hold; and an electronic booking system was being looked at so patients would be able to book online in the future; and

·         An observation was made by one Member in relation to a reduction in phlebotomy services being offered at some local GP surgeries – a response would follow after the meeting as Officers were not aware of this.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.