University Hospitals Dorset has launched its second community diagnostic imaging centre with the aim of giving the NHS extra capacity.
Health Sciences University (HSU) in Bournemouth has leased space on the ground floor of its clinic building, with the new centre playing host to a CT scanner and ultrasound facilities.
HSU’s imaging partnership with University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) started with the commissioning of ultrasound services on campus in March 2021 as part of the Covid-19 Recovery. Since then,more than 10,000 scans have been taken as part of the collaboration.
Levelling up health inequalities
In February 2023 AECC University College (since renamed Health Science University) was named by NHS England as one of the Dorset Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) ‘spoke’ sites, with funding provided to support the development of a CT and ultrasound suite onsite.
Spoke sites aim to reach into known areas of deprivation to support the “levelling up” of health and health care inequalities, and to enable the development of place-based partnerships.
These partnerships offer the NHS the opportunity to work with communities, anchor institutions, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships to tackle health and wellbeing across Dorset.
UHD’s latest CDC complements HSU’s own in-house Clinical Imaging Services, which include an open upright MRI scanner (one of only seven in the country), ultrasound clinic and X-Ray department.
Patients can be referred to the HSU imaging services by all registered health care professionals as well as GPs, providing an additional resource to help alleviate pressure on the NHS.
Supporting workforce development
Vice-chancellor of HSU, Professor Lesley Haig, said: “As Dorset’s only provider of pre-registration radiography courses and with our onsite clinical imaging services, our working partnership with UHD is critical in supporting the development of future workforce as well as enhancing patient access to diagnostic services.
“We have also been working with UHD to develop a pan-Dorset Radiography Academy, to secure a partnership approach to training Dorset’s future radiography workforce. We also hosted a mobile MRI unit on our campus last year, to support UHD in providing additional capacity for important community-based diagnostic imaging.
“We look forward to working closely with UHD colleagues going forward, as part of our commitment to supporting the development of the health workforce and in supporting the delivery of healthcare in Dorset.”
The SoR has previously welcomed the introduction of CDCs to help increase capacity and reduce backlogs, but the Society has also raised concerns around staffing.
Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy for the SoR, has warned previously that CDC budgets do not include any funding to cover staffing costs.
(Image: CT Scanner At HSU)