Keir Starmer’s announcement on reforming elective care reflects a vital recognition of the challenges facing the NHS. Among the key proposals are plans for new surgical hubs and an expanded focus on Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). These reforms mark a critical step towards enhancing access to care, reducing waiting times, and empowering patients with greater choice.
At the heart of these proposals is a transformative shift toward what could be described as a “Neighbourhood Health Service.” This vision aims to decentralise healthcare delivery, placing care closer to communities. By enabling patients to access treatments locally, these reforms promise not only to ease the burden of travel but also to improve the overall patient experience and ensure timely interventions.
The Benefits of a Neighbourhood Health Service
A neighbourhood-focused approach to healthcare offers a range of tangible benefits. By placing care closer to home, patients in both urban and rural areas can access services that were previously out of reach without requiring extensive travel. This localised access reduces logistical challenges for patients and their families, especially for those reliant on public transport or with mobility issues, making healthcare more inclusive and equitable.
The expansion of local services also has the potential to significantly reduce waiting times. By increasing capacity for diagnostics and surgical procedures in community settings, patients can receive timely treatment, avoiding the delays that often result from bottlenecks in overstretched acute hospital systems. Importantly, this shift empowers patients with more control over their care pathways. The ability to choose services based on convenience, waiting times, and location fosters greater confidence and satisfaction in the system.
The Role of Surgical Hubs and Community Diagnostic Centres
Surgical hubs and CDCs are integral to achieving the goals of a Neighbourhood Health Service. These facilities represent a shift away from centralised care models by redistributing routine diagnostics and elective procedures from acute hospitals to specialised community-based settings. This approach not only eases pressure on acute hospitals, freeing up capacity for urgent and complex cases, but also streamlines care delivery.
Purpose-built surgical hubs are designed for efficiency, enabling high-intensity procedures such as cataract surgeries or orthopaedic treatments to be carried out in high volumes. This reduces delays for patients while ensuring they receive care in modern, fit-for-purpose environments. Similarly, CDCs consolidate diagnostic services into accessible locations, often providing same-day diagnostics and consultations. This holistic approach improves patient flow across the healthcare system, reducing congestion and optimising resource utilisation.
These centres also serve as hubs of specialised expertise. By concentrating specific services and skills in one location, surgical hubs and CDCs standardise the quality of care and improve outcomes for patients. The redistribution of services supports long-term sustainability, making the NHS better equipped to meet the growing and increasingly complex demands of healthcare.
Supporting the NHS Vision
As a company involved in delivering new NHS facilities, ModuleCo has played an active role in supporting the expansion of elective care services. In two years, we have delivered 31 new operating theatres, helping the NHS expand capacity during a critical period. Our recent projects include the St Austell Elective Surgical Hub, which performs 5,000 procedures annually, and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital hub, with its four state-of-the-art theatres.
ModuleCo has also contributed to the development of CDCs, such as the Barking Community Diagnostic Centre, praised by Professor Sir Mike Richards as “a fantastic centre” for its potential to accelerate diagnosis and reduce waiting times. We are currently delivering the North Kent CDC at Livingstone Community Hospital and others, further extending the NHS’s diagnostic capabilities. While our contributions have supported the NHS estate, they represent just one part of the collective effort required to meet the growing demand for services.
Looking Ahead
The journey toward a Neighbourhood Health Service requires sustained investment, innovation, and collaboration. The NHS has shown its ability to adapt and evolve in response to challenges, and this reform agenda presents an opportunity to deliver care in ways that are not only more efficient but also more compassionate and patient centred.
As the NHS continues to adapt and grow, we remain committed to supporting its vision of care that is accessible, equitable, and tailored to the needs of communities across the UK by delivering our modular healthcare facilities to the highest quality in the shortest timeframe.