A very helpful medical hand

We musn’t forget that our RUH Trust also provides NHS services at the Sulis Hospital at Peasedown St John – alongside the centre’s private activities.

Here’s a press release that shows just how useful that additional facility is.

“Sulis Hospital is proud to have facilitated over 20,000 extra patient diagnostic tests or scans since the opening of its Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in April 2023. 

Maintaining this momentum, an additional 22,700 NHS patients are set to be provided with diagnostic tests between the 2024 – 2025 fiscal year. 

These diagnostic tests are additional to all of the NHS work the Hospital does through eReferrals and inter-provider transfers (IPTs) from other Trusts for elective surgery.

This significant milestone is a testament to the Hospital’s commitment to accessible, life-changing diagnoses for Bath and the surrounding community. 

Sulis Hospital’s new CDC is one of three new centres in the region, enhancing access to essential medical tests, scans, and checks. It currently provides planned diagnostic procedures, including: 

·         CT and MRI scans 

·         X-rays 

·         Ultrasounds 

·         Endoscopy procedures 

·         Echocardiology 

·         Phlebotomy. 

These CDCs are integral for preventing disease, helping to diagnose health conditions earlier, faster, and more accurately. They can help to reduce backlogs, giving people access to vital testing services without the need to attend acute hospital sites. This means that services can be more reliable, more convenient, and closer to home. 

With Bath and North East Somerset’s ageing population (40% of its residents are currently aged 50 or older ^[1],) these services are helping to meet growing healthcare needs with faster access to critical diagnostic care. 

CDC Programme Highlights at Sulis Hospital for 2023/2024 Fiscal Year include: 

• Radiology investigations: Over 9,000 additional NHS radiology tests conducted. 
• Endoscopy examinations: More than 1,700 diagnostic endoscopy procedures undertaken, with plans for a mobile unit to support an additional 1,800 endoscopies in 2025. 
• Cardiology investigations: Supported over 530 NHS cardiology investigations, both from the Royal United Hospitals Bath and primary care. A second cardiology suite, launched in October 2024, is expected to deliver an additional 1,800 cardiac diagnostics annually. 
• NHS Pathology Clinic: Since April 2024, a new NHS Pathology Clinic at Sulis has enabled over 40 patients per month to access blood tests outside of regular hours and on Saturdays, alleviating primary care pressures. 

This month the Hospital is launching NHS Respiratory and Sleep Study clinics as part of the CDC programme. 

The national NHS CDC team also visited Sulis Hospital’s CDC on October 30. Attendees included Alexandra Pinches, Head of CDC Programme for NHS England, Ann Heath, National Implementation lead for the South West, and Isobel Phillips-Broadhurst Senior Diagnostics Programme Manager for CDC NHS England. 

^{[From L to R: Simon Milner, Hospital Director, Sulis Hospital; Amy Taylor-Gonzalez, Physiological Sciences Lead, NHS England; Jenny Anstey, Head of Nursing and AHPs, Sulis Hospital; Rob Gittins, Programme Director – Diagnostics Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire; Alexandra Pinches, Head of Community Diagnostic Programme for NHS England; Ann Health, National Improvement Community Diagnostic Centres Lead, NHS England South West; Isobel Phillips-Broadhurst, Senior Diagnostics Programme Manager, Community Diagnostic Centres NHS England South West; Niall Prosser Chief Operating Officer, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust; Victoria MacFarlane, Sulis & Elective Recovery System Lead.]} 

Simon Milner, Hospital Director, comments: “We’re proud to play our part in making community diagnostics faster, closer, and more accessible for patients. Our CDC is a vital step for disease prevention and improving patients’ access to life-changing diagnoses. It means open slots for patients to book in and be seen quickly.

It means symptoms can be checked, and tests or scans can be made. And it means picking up things like heart and lung disease and cancer earlier, ensuring that patients can get the care that they need more promptly. This first milestone is just the beginning.” 

Milner adds: “While patient care and safety is our number one priority, it’s been great to see that alongside these NHS initiatives, Sulis Hospital’s private activity has continued to grow in line with UK private market trends, contributing to the bottom line and contributing to the Trust.”