Improving access to diagnostic care
LOCATION: LEEDS | PROJECT AREA: STRATEGIC ADVISORY SERVICES | PROJECT STATUS: COMPLETED
We managed the scope development and delivery of a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in a Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) health centre in Leeds, making use of existing underused health estate to cut waiting times and make access to diagnostic tests faster and more convenient for patients.
The challenge
One of the NHS’s main priorities is improving access to diagnostic tests, enabling patients to get the treatment they need quickly and locally. The national program for the roll out of new CDCs is also a key way to help reduce the waiting list backlog.
Constructing a new build, standalone CDC is both expensive and time consuming, so it can be more effective to look at the existing health estate and reconfigure space which is currently underutilised.
Armley Moor Health Centre is a modern, three-storey 3,900 square metre building completed in October 2005 under the LIFT program. Offering a wide range of services to the local community, it houses a GP, pharmacy and a range of other NHS services such as audiology, dietetics, podiatry and physiotherapy, as well as providing space for community groups and a Children’s Centre.
The new CDC was to cover 320 square metres on the second floor, in an area which wasn’t currently used, but had formerly housed dental services.
The Solution
The Sewell Advisory team project managed the scheme from inception to completion . As well as co-ordinating the designs, procurement and delivery to reconfigure the space, the team also managed planning permissions and judicial review, as well as the legal process documenting the variation to the original LIFT contract.
An important part of the project was working with CHP to drive a value engineered reduction of the original scope of works, which ensured that the CDC project was affordable and delivered value for money, whilst being fully compliant with all procurement and health guidance.
The result
The result is a brand new CDC which took only ten weeks to reconfigure, with the project coming in significantly under budget and was ready to open to the public in October 2024.
The new centre provides ultrasound, electrocardiograms, blood tests, blood pressure tests, point-of-care testing and other diagnostic services. By mid-December, only a month after opening, the CDC was already seeing 100 phlebotomy patients a day, with patient numbers expected to increase as patients and GPs become more aware of the services available.
The new CDC is already making a huge difference to thousands of patients, who would otherwise have had to travel several miles to one of the main hospitals in the city. This results in faster and more accurate diagnosis, an improved patient experience, reduced pressure on acute hospitals and reduced health inequalities.
The Armley Moor CDC is a fantastic example of what can be achieved at pace within our local communities. All stakeholders agreed a combined vision and worked together to deliver the project ahead of schedule and within the agreed cost envelope.
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