We visited the Community Diagnostic Centre in January and February 2024 as part of a Healthwatch England project about Diagnostic Centers across the country (see below).
We made three separate visits, on different days and times. We carried out 32 interviews with people who agreed to speak to us. We also completed an accessibility audit of the site, which included information about travel routes.
Our report covered three main areas;
Overall patient experience.
Accessibility.
Travel
The overall report was very positive. You can read our report at the bottom of the page.
The Director of Patient Experience and Engagement from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said "We all felt that this was a very helpful report which provided a good, independent overview of the facility whilst recognising that public transport issues are a continued challenge. It is great to see such positive feedback and that the facility is making a real difference to our patients."
Healthwatch England
On 25th October 24 Healthcare Leader published a blog by Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch England on what lessons the Community Diagnostic Centre experience holds for any expansion of community-based care.
This article, which highlights several examples of good practice (and areas for improvement!) observed by local Healthwatch teams, follows on from the Healthwatch England report published in August on people’s experiences of using CDCs.
You can read our Healthwatch Somerset report below: