What is the Community Diagnostic Centre? (CDC)
Diagnostic Centres are one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests.
Since 2022, the Trust has received funding over £25 million to invest in services at Montagu Hospital and bring services closer to our communities. The huge benefit of utilising our Mexborough site is that it is defined as a ‘cold site’ and does not provide emergency services. This means that, despite peaks in activity within the wider acute hospitals, our CDC facilities will be ringfenced and protected against the usual cancellations and postponements which can, unfortunately, be common as staff are moved elsewhere to help manage emergency pressures, particularly in winter.
The services, once completed, will include MRI, ultrasound and CT scanning facilities, as well as a fully-fledged endoscopy suite, and related training and clinical facilities.
To give further context – in 2021, Montagu Hospital was selected to host one of a pair of ‘Community Diagnostic Centres’ (CDC) within South Yorkshire, following a £3 million investment from the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (ICS), of which Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) has received around £230,000 of capital funding to complete phase one of a three part project.
Phase one of the project began in January 2022 when a mobile MRI was placed at Montagu Hospital and this was joined in early February by a CT scanner. In the first three months of operation around 2,600 patients were seen, and many more since – work that has helped to reduce the backlog of activity which had accumulated as a result of COVID-19-related restrictions throughout the previous two years.
Following this successful initial development, the Trust received funding of just over £9 million to take the project to its second phase in July 2022. This meant the development of a fully functional endoscopy suite, with training facilities and multifunctional clinic rooms including ultrasound facilities in addition to the continuation of the work undertaken during phase one, with CT and MRI scanning continuing using mobile units.
A further case was submitted and approved for these developments to be joined by the creation of an imaging suite which will contain Static CT, MRI and ultrasound scanning facilities, significantly increasing the site’s capacity to undertake diagnostic tests for illnesses such as cancer.
As per current plans, construction on the new endoscopy suite will begin in March 2023, and will be placed within the exiting Pain Clinic which has been re-sited within the previously vacant physio-therapy area, while the imaging suite will be a new build to the rear of site in accordance with the site Development Control Plan adjacent to the new Montagu Elective Orthopaedic Centre, works for which will also get underway shortly.
What is the benefit?
At present, colleagues undertake 23 hours of CT scanning work at Montagu Hospital, seeing around 70 patients a week. Once the static scanners are in place within the new imaging suite, it is anticipated this will increase to 57.5 hours, or around 172 patients – more than doubling the current capacity. Finally, after the completion of phase two, the CDC will have the capacity to see 241 patients per week. A similar increase will also be seen with MRI diagnostics.
This is about bringing services closer to our communities, and particularly into areas which have, historically, not had easy access to diagnostic services.
What is in place right now?
At the time of writing, construction is either under way, or being planned. Our mobile CT and MRI scanners remain in place.
Additionally, as part of enabling works, we have refurbished the Pain Management Clinic at Montagu Hospital.
What services are available within the Montagu CDC service?
- The Endoscopy Suite, which opened its doors to patients in December 2023.
- The Medical Imaging Suite, due to open in Spring 2025.
- The Montagu Elective Orthopaedic Centre (separate to the CDC, but related) opened in January 2024.
Montagu CDC in the news
Previous news stories related to the development of the Montagu CDC.
- Montagu Hospital to develop one-stop-shop for diagnostic testing
- Montagu Hospital’s Community Diagnostic Centre enters phase one
- Almost 2,500 scans completed at Montagu Hospital
- Further funding achieved as Montagu’s CDC limbers up for phase two
- £16 million investment coming to Montagu Hospital to increase testing capacity
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