£34m cash injection for NHS will help fund new endoscopy unit at Rugby hospital

A £34m NHS cash injection will help fund a new endoscopy unit at Rugby’s Hospital of St Cross.

Plans have been approved and the service will be open for patients in the summer.

The unit will increase capacity for CT and ultrasound services, cut waiting times and give people the best chance of successful treatment for diseases like cancer.

The NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire has secured £34m worth of funding for three Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) from NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI).

Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, said: “We are committed to ensuring patients have more convenient access to vital diagnostic procedures with shorter waiting times and this new funding will help to deliver on this key objective.

“The two developments in the heart of Coventry and in Rugby will mean that patients will have improved access to planned diagnostic tests closer to home and they will receive care quicker improving their experiences and outcomes.

“This early diagnosis is crucial in giving patients the best possible chance of successful treatment and recovery, and I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact of these new CDCs.”

Phil Johns, Chief Executive Officer of Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, said: “The new investment will mean more timely and convenient access to vital and potentially lifesaving diagnostic procedures, which is crucial in ensuring that we are able to find and treat illnesses such as cancer quickly.

“I’m confident that these CDCs will play an important role in improving the health and wellbeing of our local population and I look forward to seeing the positive impact they have in enhancing the quality of healthcare across communities in Coventry and Warwickshire.”

Residents in Warwickshire North and South Warwickshire are already seeing the benefits of the new CDCs. Warwickshire North CDC is based adjacent to George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton and the new funding will see a further expansion of services including diagnostic tests for cancer and new CT and MRI scanners.

South Warwickshire CDC, based at Stratford Hospital, has introduced different diagnostic equipment throughout 2022 and this has increased access to CT and MRI scans. In 2024, a dedicated building will be opened on the hospital site to co-locate the new equipment.

Coventry CDC is also set to open in 2024 and will be made up of two parts, split between Coventry and Rugby.

In Coventry, a dedicated CDC will be developed in the heart of the city in the Paybody building on the City of Coventry Health Centre site, with major works ongoing from 2023 to 2024.

Patients will be referred for diagnostic procedures at CDCs by their GP.

Funding for the three CDCs was secured through a collaborative partnership involving Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), George Eliot Hospital (GEH) NHS Trust, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT), University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.