Salisbury's Central Health Clinic boosted by cash injection

A cash injection has boosted the services of Salisbury's Central Health Clinic and two other sites in Bath and Swindon.

Thanks to a multimillion-pound investment by the local NHS, patients requiring diagnostic care can now access the services they need sooner and closer to home.

A £14 million cash injection has enabled three new community diagnostic centres to open across the region.

Each site provides the type of diagnostics that once would have only taken place in hospitals.

Having services such as ultrasounds, echocardiograms and MRI scans based in the community means people awaiting diagnosis, including those with symptoms that could be cancer, can be seen quicker and begin any required treatment sooner.

The first centre opened at the Sulis Hospital in Bath in March 2023, and was followed in March and April of this year by two new sites, with one based at the West Swindon Health Centre and the other at Salisbury Central Health Clinic.

Dr Amanda Webb, Chief Medical Officer, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “We know that waiting for clinical investigations to happen can be a very anxious and worrying time for patients.

“These new centres are helping us to reduce that stress and strain, as we can now see more patients quicker and often in a location that is not only closer to home, but also kitted out with the same cutting-edge equipment found in our larger hospitals.

“Most importantly, these centres are enabling us to spot illnesses, including serious, life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, much earlier than before, which means treatment can also begin earlier, giving patients the best chance of a more positive outcome.”

Since April of this year, more than 15,000 patients from across the region have received a test or investigation, such as a CT scan, X-ray or endoscopy procedure, at one of the three new centres.

By April 2025, it is expected that around 60,000 local people will have visited one of the centres for a diagnostic test.

Claire Thompson, Chief Officer, Improvements and Partnerships, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Although each of our three diagnostic centres are now open, this is only the beginning of our journey to bring the same high-quality care that patients would get in an acute hospital into the community.

“Over the coming months, we’ll be introducing a whole range of new services at each of the centres, including cardiac and ultrasound suites at Salisbury Central Health Clinic and state-of-the-art endoscopy units at both the Sulis Hospital in Bath and West Swindon Health Centre.

“This is a truly exciting time for our region, and one that promises to have real, tangible benefits for local people, especially those patients awaiting an important, potentially life changing, diagnosis.”