Louie French continues to lobby for a Community Diagnostic Centre for Queen Mary’s Hospital at all levels.
Most recently, Louie has raised the opportunity and need for new services, including a Community Diagnostic Centre at our local hospital with the Health Secretary and spoke about the importance of securing a diagnostic hub in Queen Mary’s Hospital on a health debate in the House of Commons chamber. This is alongside regular meetings with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health at Bexley Council, and the Chief Executives of the local NHS Trusts that would run the centre and are working together to ensure the application for the centre is progressed within the NHS.
Following Louie’s and local health leaders efforts, it is very welcome news that the application for the Community Diagnostic Centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital has progressed to the next stage.
Community Diagnostic Centres allow patients to access planned diagnostic care nearer to home without the need to attend acute hospital sites. These services are separate to urgent diagnostic scan facilities, which means shorter waiting times and a reduced risk of cancellation which can happen when more urgent cases take priority. Therefore, this would lead to improved patient experience and health outcomes, particularly by diagnosing health conditions earlier, faster and more accurately
Commenting, Louie said:
“I am very passionate about our local hospital and securing more services on the multi-trust site which has huge potential. I believe that Queen Mary’s Hospital is the ideal place for one of the Government’s new diagnostic hubs which would mean local patients benefitting from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home.
In recent times, I am delighted that we have seen multi-million pound investment in our local hospital, which has delivered the new cancer and kidney treatment centres, new opthamology and orthordontic services and new operating theatres. I want to ensure the investment and delivery of new services into our local and much cherished hospital continues.”
