The new funding of £248 million will help to update diagnostic care withing the NHS with the newest technology.
Hospital labs will be able to share patient results, tests and scans quickly and easily across different hospitals which will reduce time taken to diagnose health problems within patients.
"Today’s multi-million-pound investment will play a big role in levelling up diagnostics services across the country."
Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary
The aim of the investment is to save administration staff time and in turn help to tackle the patient backlog.
Doctors, nurses and clinicians will be able to access scans and other digital imagery instantly between hospitals and doctors with use of the newest technology. Exerts can view and analyse scans and x-rays remotely without the need to me in an imaging lab.
Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary said: ‘Today’s multi-million-pound investment will play a big role in levelling up diagnostics services across the country so patients can get faster results and healthcare professionals can get their job done more easily, reducing unnecessary administrative burden and making every taxpayer’s pound count
‘Getting a faster diagnosis for a health condition is the first step to getting more people the treatment they need and earlier on, and our funding will help ensure our NHS has access to the latest digital technology to drive up efficiency.'
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said: ‘The NHS is facing a winter like no other with rising cases of COVID and flu as well as record demand for emergency services, all while we continue to deliver the biggest vaccination programme in health service history, including rolling out booster jabs for the most vulnerable.
‘However, NHS staff are making efficient use of additional funding and following the recent rollout of new diagnostic centres, the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test is falling for the first time in a year, meaning more people are getting the checks they need and if required, are able to begin treatment sooner.’
The funding follows the announcement of the budget which will see an investment of £2.3 billion over the next three years into diagnostic services. Alongside this, one hundred community diagnostic centres will be implemented to help patient across England to access earlier diagnostic centres closer to home.
