It’s usually when something goes wrong that people realise they’ve been taking their health for granted.
But when a potential illness, ailment or disease might need investigating, getting seen quickly is often important to patients.
Devon’s rural and coastal nature can make that more challenging, but the county secured some significant investments in a national health funding boost outlined by Wes Streeting, the health secretary, this week.
Around £6 million will be spent on creating a new community diagnostics centre (CDC) in Bideford, at the town’s community hospital, bringing x-ray, audiology, ultrasound, Dexa (a bone density test), phlebotomy, cardiology and other services.
Exeter ’s existing CDC at the Nightingale hospital will also be expanded, and Plymouth looks set to get a second CDC building behind the first one, which is only due to open its doors this summer.
Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, said Bideford being chosen as just one of the four new CDCs revealed nationally in this announcement was “really good news for the whole of northern Devon”.
“We should now see more tests done closer to home, which will make a real difference for people across North Devon and Torridge, who currently have to travel further for appointments,” he said.
“In a rural area like ours, getting to care is not always simple.
“I have been consistently pressing the health secretary for better services in North Devon, as he said so himself, so I am very pleased to see this confirmed.”
Mr Roome, whose persistent lobbying efforts were commented upon by Mr Streeting, said he would continue pushing for wider investment in his area, including for the North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple.
Steve Race, the Labour MP for Exeter, called the news of the city’s CDC expansion “fantastic news”.
“When I talk to people on the doorstep they have nothing but good feedback about our Nightingale CDC,” he said.
“The addition of three new scanners and more multi-purpose clinic rooms will enable more patients to be seen more quickly.
“A fast diagnosis means the best chance at a full recovery for those who need further treatment, and rapid reassurance for those who are given the all clear.
“Since the government came to power, more than 12 million tests, checks and scans have taken place at CDCs, including at Exeter’s Nightingale site.”
Fellow MP David Reed, the Conservative member for Exmouth and Exeter East, also cheered the expansion of the city’s CDC, stating it was “already playing an important role in supporting patients across Devon”.
“This kind of investment is exactly what is needed to ensure people can get the care they need more quickly and closer to home,” he said.
Councillor Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley), who chairs Devon County Council ’s health and adult care scrutiny committee, agreed the centres would “help identify issues earlier” but didn’t feel it was a silver bullet for the whole health system.
“This investment does not address the huge financial pressures faced by the NHS in Devon,” she said.
“Things have been bad for years – they now appear to be worse than ever.
“I am really concerned about the sustainability of the health services that we all rely on here in Devon. It is also regrettable that the government is pressing on with the restructuring of the NHS system, which makes the challenges even greater.
NHS Devon has been tasked with making around £250 million in savings as part of efforts to improve its sustainability.
Some may be hoping that the CDCs, by identifying health concerns earlier, could help reduce pressure on services such as A&E and even the ambulance service.
Dr Trevor Smith, the regional medical director for NHS England South West, said the new centre at Bideford and two expansions will mean “patients get faster, easier, and higher quality care closer to home when they require crucial diagnostic scans, tests and monitoring in the South West”.
“These improvements are testament to the hard work, professionalism and innovation of staff across the region, to make sure people receive the right care and support they need at the right time, making a difference to their health and wellbeing,” he said.
For health secretary Mr Streeting, he had “something suspicious” spotted by A&E doctors when he was admitted due to severe back pain, which, it emerged, was being caused by kidney stones.
“Thanks to follow-up diagnostics, my kidney cancer was caught at Stage 1,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“I had surgery, but it was diagnosed early, treated quickly, and I have an excellent prognosis and will hopefully live a long, happy, healthy life if this job doesn’t kill me first.
“I want everyone’s experience to be like mine: early detection, faster access to treatment and good outcomes.”
That’s what Devonions who ever require the CDCs will be hoping for too.
