THE first phase of a multi-million pound project to improve diagnostics testing and reduce the COVID-19 backlog and waiting times for residents of Warrington and Halton has been completed.
The newly named Warrington and Halton Diagnostics Centre will provide additional checks and scans that can help diagnose and treat a range of health conditions including heart disease, lung conditions and cancer.
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH) has received national funding for its diagnostics services as part of the Government’s Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) programme, which aims to create 160 centres around the country at a cost of £2.3bn. The initial stage of the development has focused on the refurbishment and modernisation of existing space within the Nightingale Building at Halton Hospital. Services including blood testing (phlebotomy), lung testing (spirometry) and ultrasound, which are staffed by a multidisciplinary team including nurses and radiographers, are now fully operational there.
Work is also under way on an extension to services provided at Halton Health Hub, which opened in Runcorn Shopping Centre last December, with ultrasound, blood testing, audiology and lung testing scheduled to get under way before the end of 2023.
In addition, the CDC scheme includes the construction of a new, £6m purpose-built diagnostics centre next to the existing Captain Sir Tom Moore building, which is scheduled to open in summer 2024. It will be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology and significant additional equipment to support future expansion including new MRI and CT services.
As well as meeting current and future demand for the Trust, it will also support the wider Cheshire and Merseyside region via a ‘mutual aid’ scheme – with the aim of achieving a maximum six-week diagnostic wait not only for Warrington and Halton patients, but across the entire region.
Lucy Gardner, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“This is an exciting time for the Trust as we look to redevelop and modernise our estate to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to assist with future demands across the region.
“With the first Warrington and Halton Diagnostics Centre services under way, we will be able to offer additional capacity for tests and scans, ensuring faster and more accurate diagnoses of conditions to improve the health of our communities.
“The additional appointments in Halton will enable Halton residents to be seen locally, in turn freeing up capacity at our Warrington Hospital site so that all Warrington and Halton residents will benefit from quicker access to diagnostics for both routine outpatient tests and as inpatients. The new facilities will also support patients across Cheshire and Merseyside who may choose to access diagnostic tests in Halton.”
The new name for WHH’s CDC, Warrington, and Halton Diagnostics Centre, was selected following consultation with the Trust’s Expert by Experience patient volunteers and governors.
Once fully operational across the three sites, the provision will enable WHH to carry out an additional 64,000 diagnostics tests and appointments a year.
The creation of Community Diagnostic Centres was recommended by Professor Sir Mike Richards following a review of NHS diagnostics capacity and is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve out of hospital, elective healthcare.
Pictured above: Susan Wise, Waiting list co-ordinator testing equipment with William Halliday, Senior respiratory physiologist.
