PATIENTS awaiting diagnostic tests will be seen quicker thanks to additional scanning and endoscopy capacity at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre.
Following a successful bid, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been given extra funding by NHS England and NHS Improvement to take part in a national programme to help the NHS further accelerate diagnostic activity and recover services from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as quickly as possible.
A new mobile CT scanner is up and running on the Kidderminster site and a mobile endoscopy unit is also being installed.
Between them, the new facilities will mean around 8,000 more patients will be able to get the tests they need quicker and safely between now and the end of March 2022.
Additional funding is also in place for a permanent community diagnostic hub which will provide an additional CT scanner, a brand new three room endoscopy unit which will provide double the capacity of the existing unit, and an additional ultrasound room in addition to the two already in place.
The news follows the opening of a new temporary operating theatre at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
Paul Brennan, Chief Operating Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of hospital staff, and the success of the vaccine programme, in recent months we have been able to deliver far more planned care for patients with non-Covid concerns than during the first wave of the pandemic.
“The mission now is to increase this activity further, ensuring that as many people as possible get the tests and treatment they need, prioritising those with the most urgent clinical need, addressing the longest waiters, and being mindful of the health inequalities Covid-19 highlighted.”
Dr Carl Ellson, medical director for NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG, said: “Our priority is to address the waiting lists that have grown during the pandemic and to use the additional capacity at the CDHs to ensure patients can get the investigations they require in a timely manner and meet growing demand for diagnostic tests in the future.”
