Secretary of State for Health and Social Care cuts the ribbon on west Kent diagnostic centre
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins has officially opened a community diagnostic centre during a visit to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW).
The West Kent Community Diagnostic Centre is near Maidstone Hospital and will enable thousands more patients to get faster access to tests including x-rays, CT, MRI, DXA and ultrasound. The centre provides additional clinic rooms as well as respiratory and cardiology rooms.
During her visit in January, the Secretary of State talked to clinical staff and patients undergoing treatment. Local MPs Greg Clark, Tracey Crouch and Helen Grant also attended the opening, and the politicians sat down with members of the trust’s senior management team to hear about the staff initiatives and innovation that has made it one of the top performing trusts in the country.
It is one of the only trusts in England to have no long-waiting patients – those waiting more than 52 weeks for planned surgery, it is regularly in the top five in the country for emergency department performance and has delivered the national cancer standard consistently for more than four years.
Chief executive Miles Scott said: “Across our trust, 98 per cent of patients need diagnostic tests and the sooner we can carry out these tests, the sooner we can start any treatment they may need. Waiting for tests can also be a worrying time for people and if their results are clear we can let them know more quickly. The expansion of the centre enables us to offer thousands more tests in a convenient location for patients and it has been fantastic to show the Secretary of State around the newly expanded facility.”
Lead picture: Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins cuts the ribbon to open the West Kent CDC alongside members of the radiology team, chief executive Miles Scott and trust chair David Highton.
Published on the front page of the February 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.