Agenda item

The Health & Social Care Sub-Committee is asked to note the overview provided on the Community Diagnostic Hubs.

The Sub-Committee considered a presentation which provided an overview of the plans for Community Diagnostic Hubs in the borough. During the presentation, delivered by the Croydon Health Service Chief Executive and Place-Based Leader for Health, Matthew Kershaw, the following was noted: -

·         Community Diagnostic Hubs were part of a national programme providing additional funding to local areas to expand diagnostic services.

·         The main aim of the programme was to reduce waiting times following the pandemic and to make services more available.

·         At present Croydon had a single site supported by mobile satellite services. The process to identify the best option for Croydon was still ongoing, but it was possible there would be a second site identified through the process.

·         By the end of 2021 it was expected that the work force and community engagement process would have been agreed, along with the business case for Croydon.

Following the presentation, the Sub-Committee was able to ask questions about the information provided. With the first question asking for information on the current landscape for diagnostic services within the South West London Clinical Commissioning Group area. It was advised that outside of Croydon, it had been proposed that the existing diagnostic services at both Queen Mary’s Hospital and St Hellier Hospital would be enhanced. The Croydon site had not yet been confirmed, but it could go to one of the existing sites such as Croydon University Hospital or Purley War Memorial Hospital or another, to be identified site.

The purpose of the programme was to enhance existing services and target areas of need. Factors such as links to public transport and parking would be taken into account, with the need for accessible services a clear message in feedback from residents. It was confirmed that a range of options for booking appointments would also be used to boost accessibility.

In response to a concern about whether the programme could lead to existing services being lost, it was highlighted that the whole purpose was to increase capacity and it was not anticipated that any existing services would be reduced. It was also highlighted that a new CT scanner had recently be installed at the Purley Hospital to increase the range of services offered from the site.

As mobile services had been mentioned as a possible option, further information was requested about how this would work in practice. It was advised that mobile services were already being provided and with modern technology there was a wide range of diagnostic services that could be provided. As an alternative, services could be offered at static satellite sites, but only on certain days, with staff moving across different sites in the borough. It suggested that there may be space within the Council’s libraries to host satellite sites, which should be investigated as part of the process to identify a solution.

Health Inequalities in the borough and the fact that certain communities were less likely to access health services was raised as an issue. It was questioned whether there would be a project to target these groups as part of the work around Community Diagnostic Hubs. It was confirmed that engaging with communities was an important issue for the NHS and was larger than the Community Diagnostic Hub programme. There was ongoing work to raise awareness of services and to engage with those community groups who were less likely to access health services, with a whole programme on prevention and early intervention.

It was confirmed that any new hub would lead to an increase in opening hours. At present there was no drive to move towards a system of self-referral and GPs would continue to play an important role in the referral of patients to diagnostic services.

At the conclusion of the item, the Chair thanked officers for the update provided to the Sub-Committee on the Community Diagnostic Hub Programme.

Resolved: That the overview provided on Community Diagnostic Hubs is noted.