Bodmin Community Hospital's Community Diagnostic Centre has now installed its latest unit, a relocatable MRI, in hopes of increasing scan volumes.
The unit is staffed by clinicians from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, and will deliver around 7,000 scans a year.
It complements the trust’s goal of bringing care closer to home, while also supporting efforts to reduce the backlog of care left by the pandemic.
'Outstanding example of working together'
Steve Williamson, chief executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We recognise that receiving as much of the care they need closer to home is really important for our patients. It means less time travelling and less stress.
"Being able to provide a wide range of services from the community diagnostic centre here in Bodmin not only makes that possible, but also helps us to reduce waiting times and to relieve pressure on our main hospitals in Truro and Plymouth.
"It is an outstanding example of teams working together across our organisations to improve patient care."
Joint working
A formal ribbon cutting ceremony was held on 29 July, led by Mr Williamson and Debbie Richards, chief executive of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, with NHS colleagues and local councillors in attendance.
Ms Richards explained the unit builds on the success of joint working, including the upcoming elective surgical hub in St Austell.
She said: “This is another really important milestone of our partnership with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, but also the work that is being enabled by NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.
"It means that people in the Bodmin community and residents in north and east Cornwall will be able to access more diagnostics on their doorstep. It will also provide some additional capacity that means, as a system, we can continue to drive down waiting times across the county."
'Caring where it matters'
Funding for the £2.5 million unit was secured by NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Kate Shields, chief executive of the ICB, said: “The new MRI unit is a welcome addition to the broad range of health and care services available at Bodmin. From the community diagnostic centre to the primary care hub. We are committed to caring where it matters. It is a delight to see this new service up and running. Well done to all the teams involved."
The relocatable MRI unit will operate 363 days per year and has already welcomed its first patients.
The SoR’s Radiography Manifesto emphasises that while CDCs are a positive for their communities, it is vital the government ensure their rollout is supported by increased investment in staffing and without increasing pressure on existing radiographers.
(Image: Bodmin Community Hospital MRI unit, via Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust)