MP Charlotte Cane has joined staff and patients at the official opening of the new diagnostics centre at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely.
The Ely Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC) has had state-of-the-art equipment and facilities installed to provide a range of services.
It means patients who need procedures such as MRI or CT scans can have those appointments closer to home, rather than travel to larger hospital sites.
The aim is to reduce waiting times whilst easing the pressure at hospitals such as Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge.
Ely CDC will also play a role in speeding up the diagnosis of serious conditions such as cancer or cardiovascular disease.
Ms Cane said: “I’m delighted that Ely now has its own Community Diagnostic Centre.
“The availability of crucial tests like MRI and CT scans right here in our community will significantly cut down waiting times for diagnoses and reduce the need for patients to travel to Addenbrooke's.
“This is a great step forward in making healthcare more accessible for local residents.”
It is the second to open in Cambridgeshire and both are managed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH).
The Wisbech Community Diagnostics Centre opened at North Cambridgeshire Hospital last year.
Services currently available at Ely CDC include: fibroscan, CT, MRI, echocardiogram, phlebotomy, respiratory testing, ultrasound and X-Ray.
The centre also provides pre-assessment appointments for patients undergoing surgical procedures.
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The Community Heart Failure Clinic at Ely CDC helps patients to meet with a consultant cardiologist from Addenbrooke’s without having to travel to Cambridge.
They can have an echocardiogram at the clinic, with their results also analysed by a specialist at their appointment.
Patients can also meet with a GP, community nurse, clinical pharmacist and social prescriber during the same visit.
Peter Richardson from Soham was one of the first patients to benefit from the new heart failure clinic, after his symptoms of heart failure were persisting.
He said: “This one place has made my life 100 times better.
“I’ve been seen quickly and efficiently, the team are kind and have always taken the time to explain what is happening at every stage, which has put me at ease.
“It’s a huge relief that I can attend appointments locally and make it back home within a couple of hours. The clinic will change lives for the better.”
Daphne Perry, from Littleport, has also benefited from the Ely CDC being closer to home, both as a patient herself at the heart failure clinic and as her mother’s carer.
She said: “I was there when the Community Diagnostic Centre first opened, the staff are lovely and I could immediately tell what a fantastic facility it is and how beneficial it would be to us all in the area.
“We’re grateful to have the expertise available at Addenbrooke’s, but it can be a challenge to get there given the amount of travelling required. The CDC takes a lot of the pressure and stress away.”
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