New NHS diagnosis centre for Yorkshire
October 7, 2021
Julian has welcomed the government’s announcement that 1 of 40 new NHS Community Diagnostic Centres will be located at Hull University Hospital. This will allow for faster and easier scanning and testing across health conditions, with multiple tests becoming possible on a single visit.
These new centres are meant to help the NHS get on top of the nationwide backlog in routine health services created by the pandemic, ensuring more rapid diagnosis of symptoms like possible cancer signs, breathlessness, and eye problems.
Hull and other Diagnostic Centres will relieve the pressure on hospitals by creating new NHS diagnosis capacity, and limit the risk of covid transmission into hospitals from patients visiting for scans. They will provide some 2.8 million scans in their first year, funded by £350 million of targeted government funding, which is in addition to the £5.4 billion extra money recently allocated to the health service by Ministers to pay for its ongoing response to the virus.
Hearing the news, Julian said: “Having been greatly concerned about the risks of a covid-induced local NHS backlog and delayed diagnoses, I think this is concrete sign that the government are addressing the issue head-on, and are willing to be creative as they support our health service to beat the backlog. I have raised these challenges with both Ministers and our local NHS leadership since early in the pandemic, and am glad they have been listening.
This new site is an encouraging sign that creating new NHS capacity in our region to meet demand is a serious government priority, building on the recent £3.49 million to upgrade York Hospital , and the planned new Osbaldwick child mental health centre.
I will of course continue to press for the delivery of all necessary health funding for our city, and will watch to ensure decisive progress is made in addressing covid-created backlogs.”
