West Country Chronicle: Trust in talks to hire staff from 'game-changing' centre

“This will be a game changer for our ability to reduce our diagnostic waiting list,” Somerset Foundation Trust CEO Peter Lewis told HSJ last October, shortly after the organisation opened a new imaging facility in partnership with private company Rutherford Diagnostics.

The centre, opened by Sir Mike Richards – whose 2020 report into NHS diagnostics prompted the push for community diagnostic centres – was described as the first such CDC run by the independent sector together with the NHS.

Upon opening, it would immediately increase Somerset FT’s CT capacity by 25 per cent, expand the MRI capacity by 25 per cent within three months, and help the trust work towards the national standard to provide 99 per cent of patients with a diagnostic test within six weeks.

At the time, around 7,400 people were waiting for a diagnostic test at the trust, of which almost half had been waiting more than six weeks.

The five-year deal between SFT and Rutherford came at a time when NHS diagnostic performance had worsened significantly after 18 months of disruption caused – mainly – by covid-19, although workforce shortages were also an important factor.

There were, therefore, high hopes for the centre and such was Rutherford’s confidence in the scheme that it said four more such facilities would be delivered for the NHS, thanks to investment from infrastructure fund manager Equitix.

Bubble bursts

Just eight months later, the partnership is over.

Last week, it was announced Rutherford Health – which owns Rutherford Diagnostics – would be wound up after an “unsustainable cash burn” during the last few years.

The Chronicle understands the trust’s senior leaders were aware of Rutherford’s financial problems in the months building up to the collapse and had already held talks with other bodies about the centre’s future.

On Friday, the trust announced it would step in on a “short-term basis” to continue to provide diagnostic tests at the centre, potentially from as soon as tomorrow.

Discussions are ongoing with Rutherford’s staff at the centre, whom the trust is hoping can be persuaded to join the NHS.

But, even if the staffing question is solved, the trust still has many hurdles to clear to keep the centre (now named the Taunton Diagnostic Centre) operational for as long as possible.

These include: who will own the building itself; who will be responsible for its maintenance and safety; and how will its running costs be funded going forward.

The intentions of Equitix, a key investor in the facility, are also not known at this stage.

Impact on waiting list

While the trust is nowhere near hitting the 99 per cent diagnostic target, its performance has improved from 45.8 per cent of patients waiting longer than six weeks for a test to 28.3 per cent as of this month.

The improvement comes despite the number of patients on the diagnostics waiting lists staying roughly the same.

Mr Lewis, the trust’s CEO, said the percentage had reduced “considerably” and added the centre had made a “real difference to our ability to scan patients quickly”.

It is, therefore, safe to conclude losing the centre would be a big blow for SFT.

It is unfortunate timing too for a government which is eager to implement CDCs as fast as possible throughout the country.

The uniqueness of Rutherford’s situation means the health service should not automatically be turned off from striking such agreements with the private sector. But the episode is a warning of the risks involved.