LONDON, UK: Rutherford Health has launched its first community diagnostics hub, the first of its kind in the UK. The centre is registered with the Care Quality Commission.
The Rutherford Diagnostic Centre Somerset in Taunton is the result of a partnership and agreement between Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Rutherford Diagnostics Limited (Rutherford Health’s diagnostics subsidiary) to provide diagnostic services to the population of Somerset and the surrounding areas.
The agreement was originally signed in June 2020 and is a five year agreement with the option to extend to ten years. The Rutherford Diagnostic Centre Somerset will give NHS patients access to diagnostic imaging which informs their treatment and enable them to have their tests in a stand-alone modern facility away from a busy hospital. It offers Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), Ultrasound and X-Ray on equipment provided by Rutherford’s technology partner, Phillips.
Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a fantastic facility for patients in Somerset and the surrounding areas. We entered our partnership with Rutherford Diagnostics in June 2020 because, despite our investment in MRI and CT scanners, and our continued use of mobile scanners, we were concerned that our Trust would not keep pace with demand for diagnostic tests in the future. This expanded diagnostic imaging capacity has become even more important as a result of the pandemic.”
The centre, run by Rutherford Diagnostics Limited, is the first of up to five centres that Rutherford intends to develop under an agreement between Rutherford Health and Equitix, a leading investor, developer and long-term fund manager of core infrastructure and energy-efficiency assets in the UK and Europe. Philips will provide the innovative technology at the five sites.
Mike Moran, CEO of Rutherford Health Plc, said: “There has never been a more important time for innovative partnering in healthcare in the UK, to ensure patients get access to earlier diagnosis and the best treatment as quickly as possible. The importance of early diagnosis cannot be overstated; it should be the cornerstone of any health system. This centre is a major step forward in addressing the rising demand for diagnostic services across Somerset and we are delighted to be working in collaboration with the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to deliver tangible benefit to their patients.
“This centre is the first of its kind and it was delivered on time and to budget, in the same way that we managed with our four Rutherford cancer treatment centres. Our plan is to establish up to four more community diagnostic centres around the country to help meet the need for wider diagnostic provision. In this way, we can continue to support the NHS to manage the growing backlog caused by the pandemic and track down the missing patients that need treatment urgently.”