Patients in Gwent who visit their GP with ‘vague symptoms’ and are worried they may have cancer will be treated at a new Rapid Diagnostic Clinic which has opened at the Grange University Hospital.

Patients are referred to the clinic by a GP, where they can receive rapid diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Chris Williams, consultant radiologist and clinical lead for the new clinic said: “Patients that currently don’t have a pathway now have somewhere to go. They can get diagnosed earlier, in one stop, so they’ll have all their tests and have their review in one go.

“There’s less waiting, less uncertainty and they can be referred on from this point to the right teams.”

These symptoms can sometimes include tiredness and weight loss amongst other symptoms that may be hard to diagnose towards a certain pathway.

On referral patients will typically attend the centre within seven to 14 days.

They will usually undergo a CT scan and an appointment with a physician to discuss diagnosis and treatment on the same day.

The service was setup at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic at St Joseph’s Hospital in Newport and has now been continued at the Grange to provide a one-stop service, providing a less fragmented experience for patients. 

This new service provides an important pathway for patients supported by dedicated radiologists, nurses, GPs and physicians from different specialities to provide diverse support for patients going through this pathway

The hope is that the service will improve the patient experience and decrease the time between first symptoms and treatment if needed.

“I think it’s a wonderful service for the patients. The hope is that we can provide this service and diagnose and treat more people earlier, improving the health of our population” Chris continued.