Milton Keynes is set to benefit from TWO new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) funded by the Conservative Government which will carry out potentially life saving tests, to the delight of local MP Ben Everitt.
The Government has announced it will be opening an additional 19 CDCs this year, building on the 92 operational CDCs already open and delivering three million potentially lifesaving checks, tests and scans – equipped with ground-breaking technology to care for patients.
Two of these will be based in Milton Keyness. One will be at Lloyds Court in Central Milton Keynes, with the other based at Whitehouse Health Centre, in the Western Expansion Area.
Lloyds Court will provide services including opthalmology, DEXA, X-ray, ultrasound, phlebotomy, and Point of Care Testing. Once fully operational, the new centre will deliver an extra 221,214 tests, checks and scans a year.
Whitehouse Health Centre will provide services including MRI, echocardiography, sleep studies and endoscopy. Once fully operational, the new centre will deliver an extra 52,550 tests, checks and scans a year.
The new CDCs will help to achieve:
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earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms including breathlessness, cancer, ophthalmology
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a reduction in hospital visits which will help to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission
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a reduction in waits by diverting patients away from hospitals, allowing them to treat urgent patients, while the community diagnostic centres focus on tackling the backlog
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a contribution to the NHS’s net zero ambitions by providing multiple tests at one visit, reducing the number of patient journeys and helping to cut carbon emissions and air pollution
Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, commented: "This is absolutely fantastic news for Milton Keynes. I've been lobbying the Government daily for more investment in healthcare in Milton Keynes and caught up with Steve Barclay last week so I'm delighted they are delivering.
"This will allow the people of Milton Keynes to benefit from more than 273,000 extra tests every single year and is on top of the brand new mobile breast cancer screening unit that is on the way, and the Maple Centre which opened at Milton Keynes University Hospital last year."
Steve Barclay, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: "Rapid diagnosis offers reassurance to patients, reduces waiting lists, and, crucially, saves lives.
"CDCs have been fundamental to this effort, delivering over 3 million extra tests which are helping to diagnose conditions from cancer to lung disease more quickly across the country.
"The new centres will take us even further, utilising cutting-edge MRI, CT and X-ray machine to transform the way we deliver care closer to people’s homes helping tens of thousands of people."
