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Alliance Medical

Answer

NHS England has moved to increase patient access to vital diagnostic tests in cancer care, with an expansion of positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) scanning.

The new services will be provided by a network including Alliance Medical Limited, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, local National Health Service and charitable partners, and a number of leading academic institutions. Key benefits to patients will include:

- Greater value for money, with the cost of scans reducing by almost 18% from current prices;

- £87 million investment over 10 years, at 30 different sites across England to install new scanners and improve the current infrastructure;

- increased patient access to services, including the provision of PET-CT scanning at five new locations (Bath, Bristol, Carlisle, Lincoln and Truro), where there is currently no provision at all;

- faster production of reports, meaning patients receive test results more quickly, thereby reducing the stress of waiting, and allowing treatment to start earlier; and

- a substantial number of PET-CT scans at no additional cost to support the research and clinical trials capability of the national network, not only in cancer, but also in new applications such as dementia, to provide the evidence needed to develop and enhance services for patients.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

225738

Session

2014-15

Subjects

Contracts Cancer Tomography Alliance Medical

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk