Community Diagnostic Centre brings state-of-the-art facilities closer to home

Situated at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely, the brand new state-of-the-art equipment and facilities will enable thousands of patients to quickly and efficiently access vital diagnostic services such as MRI and CT scans, without needing to travel to an acute hospital site such as Addenbrooke’s. This will reduce waiting times whilst easing the pressure on acute hospital services.

Services currently available at Ely CDC include fibroscan, CT, MRI, echocardiogram, phlebotomy, respiratory testing, ultrasound, X-Ray, and Cytosponge which is an innovative new test developed in Cambridge. The centre also provides pre-assessment appointments for patients undergoing surgical procedures.

Ely CDC is one of two new centres managed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), in close collaboration with partners across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System. The Wisbech Community Diagnostic Centre opened in 2023 at North Cambridgeshire Hospital. The centres are playing a crucial role in speeding up the diagnosis of conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The CDC has opened opportunities for new ways of working to address health inequalities and streamline the patient journey to reduce the number of visits patients make. For example, new spirometry and breathlessness pathways coming to the CDCs have been developed to test lung function and detect conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart conditions as early and accurately as possible. The centre is enabling patient pathways to evolve and develop to meet the needs of the community.

Ely CDC is also making a contribution to the success of CUH’s Virtual Wards, which enable patients to receive the same high level of investigation, management, treatment and care from their homes, as they would as an inpatient on a hospital ward, by providing diagnostic services for patients closer to home.

"It also enables patients to receive care delivered by CUH clinicians in a way which is more convenient for them, reducing the need for them to travel to the Addenbrooke’s site" adds Nicola.

Dr Gary Howsam, Chief Clinical Improvement Officer at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said: “This new Community Diagnostic Centre helps local people get the care they need, when they need it, closer to home. By offering crucial diagnostic tests in the community, the new centre offers people in and around Ely a more convenient way to get these tests done, all whilst supporting our hospital teams by freeing up additional time to look after patients in their care.”

Charlotte Cane, MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, said “I’m delighted that Ely now has its own Community Diagnostic Centre. The availability of crucial tests like MRI and CT scans right here in our community will significantly cut down waiting times for diagnoses and reduce the need for patients to travel to Addenbrooke's. This is a great step forward in making healthcare more accessible for local residents.”

The Princess of Wales Hospital site, managed by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, brings together services from primary, secondary and community health care providers – from GP services through to specialist diagnostic and treatment services – right in the heart of the community.

Community Heart Failure Clinic at Ely Community Diagnostic Centre

The community heart failure clinic at Ely Community Diagnostic Centre is enabling patients to meet with a consultant cardiologist from Addenbrooke’s, without the need to travel to Cambridge. Patients will also have the opportunity to meet with a GP, community nurse, clinical pharmacist and social prescriber during the same visit.

The clinic’s location at the Ely Community Diagnostic Centre, situated within the Princess of Wales Hospital, means it will benefit from brand new state-of-the-art facilities including access to echocardiogram (opens in a new tab)– which is the type of scan used to diagnose and monitor heart conditions. This setup will enable the cardiologist to instantly view results during appointment, leading to a faster and more efficient service for patients.

Simon runs the team at Ely Primary Care Networks (opens in a new tab) which has developed the heart failure clinics with a multi-disciplinary team including GPs, cardiologists, nurses, pharmacists, social prescribers and service managers. Together they form the South Care Partnership (SCP) which is hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and brings together social care providers, local government and voluntary sector organisations.

Cardiovascular Disease is one of the main causes of death for registered patients living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, accounting for 5,343 deaths in 2016-18.

It also accounts for one-fifth of the life expectancy gap between the most deprived and the least deprived communities in England.

“Patients are more likely to have a better outcome if we can identify them before they are admitted or readmitted to hospital” adds Dr Elena Zambon, Cardiology Consultant at CUH. “Therefore, if we can proactively identify patients at risk of deterioration sooner, we can prevent readmission to hospital.”

Peter Richardson from Soham was one of the first patients to benefit from the new heart failure clinic, after his symptoms of heart failure were persisting.

Deborah from Littleport was contacted after the clinic identified her as somebody who would benefit from a review, having suffered a significant cardiac incident in the past: “The Ely clinic is the best of both worlds – it’s good to know I’ll be reviewed at consultant level, but it’s also easier to access, more efficient and it feels like there is more time for the appointment.”

Patients at the new clinic will have access to social prescribers who are trained staff dedicated to identifying where a patient may benefit from non-medical support such as housing, financial, social care and wellbeing advice.

“An increasing number of people are turning to GP surgeries for non-medical support, and we want to be able to meet their needs beyond medical care. Every contact with a patient counts.” – Simon Randall.

The community heart failure clinic has been funded for an initial twelve month period and the team hope to secure funding to continue the clinic following a review of its outcomes.

Nicola Ayton, Deputy CEO at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, added: “The new heart failure clinic is a fantastic example of what can happen when we bring together expertise across the health system. Together we are finding innovative new ways to help prevent admission or re-admission to hospital which leads to better outcomes for our local community, and a more efficient service.”

Daphne's story

Daphne Perry from Littleport has benefited from the clinic as a patient, as well as a carer for her mother.

“I was there when the Community Diagnostic Centre first opened, the staff are lovely and I could immediately tell what a fantastic facility it is and how beneficial it would be to us all in the area.”

Daphne was referred to the heart clinic after clinicians found her heart function was reduced following a hernia operation earlier in the year.

During her recovery at home, Daphne noticed her legs had swollen and contacted her GP. A scan revealed that her heart was underperforming, which led to her admission to Addenbrooke’s where she stayed for six days undergoing monitoring and a series of scans.

Having ruled out any major heart defects, Daphne was discharged from hospital with medication to aid her recovery. Clinicians believe the cause may have been a temporary virus, exacerbated by Daphne contracting COVID-19, and are investigating further potential causes with genetic testing. She is now under the care of Addenbrooke’s Cardiologist Dr Elena Zambon at the Ely Heart Failure Clinic.

“It was an absolute godsend to be seen in Ely, I was so grateful because I was still quite poorly when I was discharged from hospital and I wasn’t driving, so I wouldn’t have been able to get myself over to Addenbrooke’s for appointments. The short distance gave me independence.”

Daphne was already familiar with the clinic, having previously taken her mother to appointments there.

“It’s much better for my mother to attend the clinic in Ely, she’s 92 and it physically impacts her a lot less than getting to Addenbrooke’s.”

“It also takes the pressure off me when I have my own appointments because I know I’ll only be away from her briefly. If I need to go to Addenbrooke’s, I have to ensure that somebody can be around for her in case I’m delayed. That is worth a lot to me, personally.”

More recent tests have reassured Daphne that her heart function is improving and clinicians are confident that her difficulties are temporary.

“Covid really impacted me and it happened suddenly. I was incapacitated for around 10 days feeling very poorly. I developed a terrible cough, headache and sore throat, and I also had to isolate myself to protect family. I have a long way to go before I’m back where I was, however I’m in a far better place now. I’m taking medication which I’m hopeful should reduce over time.”