TY - JOUR T1 - Community diagnostic centres: bringing diagnostics closer to home JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 534 LP - 535 DO - 10.3399/bjgp21X717701 VL - 71 IS - 713 AU - Samuel WD Merriel AU - Lennard Lee AU - Richard Neal Y1 - 2021/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/71/713/534.abstract N2 - In October 2021, NHS England announced the creation of 40 new community diagnostic centres in England. The aims are to create faster, more direct access to diagnostic testing, divert patients from hospital to reduce waiting times and the spread of COVID-19, and tackle the backlog of diagnostic activity created by the pandemic. GPs will be able to refer patients to local centres directly for diagnostic tests and reduce the need for hospital outpatient visits. These centres will purportedly be established closer to people’s homes in community hospitals, health centres, repurposed buildings, and even shopping centres, and are planned to be fully operational by March 2022.1 Further funding for community diagnostic centres was announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, taking the total number of centres to be funded to 100, as well as funding for the purchasing of additional diagnostic equipment such as computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.2The drivers for this new initiative stem in part from the NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019.3 Professor Sir Mike Richards, the first NHS National Cancer Director, was commissioned by NHS England to undertake an independent review of NHS diagnostic services following publication of the Long Term Plan, and a key recommendation from his report was the establishment of community diagnostic hubs away from acute hospitals that could be delivered in a COVID-19-safe manner as … ER -