Extending patient choice and enabling independent providers to open new NHS Community Diagnostics Centres (CDCs) across England could save more than £500m in capital spending, according to analysis released today by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN).
The IHPN also called for assurances that new hubs will be located in the community rather than on hospital sites, as the NHS looks to implement phase two of its CDC programme.
The IHPN said according to its analysis: “If one third of all current CDCs had been independent sector-led it would have resulted in a reduction in capital spend of approximately £500m.”
It said this was a “significant number given the current strain on the public capital budget and which could have been reallocated to alternative priority initiatives.”
This is in light of figures which show that only a handful are located on high streets and other local places as originally intended.
The industry body for independent healthcare providers has also called for more information to be published on CDCs around waiting times and activity and patient satisfaction, to ensure that the programme is meeting its objectives to improve patient access to vital testing and imaging services.
The IHPN said: “It was originally envisaged that independent providers would play a key role in delivering the initial tranche of CDCs as a way of rapidly expanding testing and imagining capacity across the country, however, just 7% of these new community hubs are run by the independent sector.“
Earlier this year the Patients Association’s Patient Experience of Diagnostics Report surveyed 1,177 patients and also found more than nine out 10 (91%) wanted investment in diagnostics and new technology to be prioritised.
The report proposed expanding community diagnostic hubs by removing NHS estate restrictions and expanding tests offered.
And in November last year, then Conservative health secretary Steve Barclay told the IHPN annual summit that the independent sector’s investment in CDCs had saved the NHS about £110m.
The IHPN said that extending patient choice to diagnostics and using contracting models such as Any Qualified Provider (AQP), would make it easier for local areas to utilise independent sector capacity, rather than bids for new CDCs being signed off centrally as is currently the case.
“This is in light of figures which show that only a handful are located on high streets and other local places as originally intended,” it continued.
The IHPN also wanted to see greater transparency on the productivity of CDCs, with the ability for new providers to come in and operate at those sites where productivity levels were consistently low.
David Hare, CEO of the IHPN (pictured) said: “CDCs have the potential to revolutionise the way patients can access the tests and scans they need – providing swift, modern, facilities in the heart of their local community.
“Already, we are seeing the fruits of this work, with overall diagnostics activity having increased in the last few years.
“However, with waiting times for patients continuing to be at record levels, it’s vital that lessons are learned as the NHS looks to expand the provision of these hubs, including through making better use of independent healthcare providers who have long played a key role in delivering accessible, high quality NHS diagnostic services.
“By opening up patient choice to CDCs, and enabling new independent sector facilities to be established for the benefit of NHS patients, significant new additional diagnostics capacity would be created without the need for additional public capital spending, putting greater power in the hands of patients to access efficient, safe diagnostics services at their convenience.”
