Diagnostic centre in Yeovil aims to cut NHS waiting lists

The new centre will offer scans, checks and diagnostic tests

NHS patients in Somerset are to benefit from quicker diagnoses thanks to a new centre due to open in Yeovil.

The private clinic is one of a network of centres for the NHS to carry out scans, checks and tests to help cut waiting lists, from next year.

"This will make a big difference," said Bernie Marden, chief medical officer for NHS Somerset, "and increase our capacity rapidly".

Centres will also open in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.

Eight clinics will be operated by a private company, as part of a total of 13 centres due to open across England, to offer free services to patients.

The measures form part of a recently published system-wide recovery plan designed to tackle the growing backlog of people waiting for care.

• NHS to expand private sector use to tackle waits

Figures released last month revealed NHS waiting lists stood at 7.47 million at the end of May, the highest number since records began in 2007.

Private centres will operate similarly to their NHS counterparts, the government said, but staff will be employed by private operators, which also own the buildings.

The new diagnostic centre will help tackle the growing backlog of people waiting for treatment

The Yeovil Diagnostic Centre, operated by diagnostics company InHealth, will be adjacent to Yeovil District Hospital.

Open seven days a week, it aims to provide more than 70,000 radiology, endoscopy, cardiology and audiology diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments a year.

'Good timely care'

It will be the second stand-alone facility in the county after the Taunton Diagnostic Centre opened in September 2021.

The Taunton centre's latest figures, for March 2023, show the percentage of patients waiting longer than the six-week standard has fallen from nearly 46% to 12.5%.

Dr Daniel Meron, chief medical officer at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Quick access to diagnostic tests is essential for providing good timely care.

"Since we opened the Taunton Diagnostic Centre in September 2021, waiting lists for some tests for NHS patients in Somerset have fallen dramatically and the Yeovil Diagnostic Centre will enable us to reduce waits even further."

Pending approval from local planners, building for the Yeovil Diagnostic Centre is planned to begin in spring 2024 and the centre will open in winter 2024.