Agenda item

A report is attached updating the committee on the national diagnostics programme and how it will impact the residents of the BSW system.

Dr Peter Collins, Chief Medical Officer at Salisbury Foundation Trust, referred the committee to the report starting on page 33 of the agenda pack updating the committee about the national diagnostics programme and how it would impact local residents. The doctor noted that the need to provide urgent care during the pandemic had impacted routine testing. He reassured the committee that diagnostics would be a key part of the integrated care system and then invited them to provide comment on the report.

During the conversation key point included:

• Members thanked the doctor for the report. The chief medical officer noted that it was not yet a fully formed plan as he wanted to give the committee and the public a chance to input into the proposals.

• In response to a question about how transport had been considered in the development of the programme, the chief medical officer reassured the committee that this had been an important consideration due to the rural nature of the area. The aim was to deliver care as close to the population as possible. He explained that it was difficult to move around CT scanners, but the aim was to separate elective and emergency work.

• The doctor stressed that staffing was an important consideration when deciding where to locate sites, as experts were required to interpret the results and it was vital to employ the staff as efficiently as possible.

• When asked about whether the aim was to create a one-stop-shop, he stated that it could be a way forward, but some compromises might be required. The chief medical officer explained that a one-size fits all approach would not be suitable for all patients and services had to be delivered based on the resources available.

• Members asked questions about the financing of the programme and it was stressed that it was anticipated that there would be a number of funding bids to the national programme.

• Mark Harris, Director of Commissioning at BSW CCG, confirmed that the revenue cost, money over and above the standard funding provided, of the MRI scanner on the Sulis Estate in Bath was approximately £800,000 per year. The revenue cost of providing additional transport, to reduce the time needed to wait for phlebotomy results, was around £400,000 annually. Additional FeNO testing had revenue costs of roughly £200,000 per year. He also confirmed that funding was in place for five years, with around £20 million revenue funding per year. Further demand modelling, and a productivity review of existing services, would influence the business case as the programme developed.

• In response to a question about the distribution of the hubs, the chief medical officer noted that it was anticipated that there would be one diagnostic centre in each of the three places of the ICS (BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire) but the final distribution would depend on local need. 

Resolved

1) To thank officers for the update.

2) To welcome the aspirations documented in the report.

3) To invite a further update to the committee as plans become more refined.