Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what way the 100 community diagnostic centres will focus on (a) diagnosing heart and circulatory diseases and (b) the risk factors for heart and circulatory diseases, such as hypertension.

Community diagnostics centres (CDCs) aim to carry out the range of diagnostic tests required for a patient. It is recommended that as a minimum all CDCs will provide cardiorespiratory measurements such as echocardiography, electrocardiogram, ambulatory hypertension monitoring and portable heart monitoring devises, to diagnose heart and circulatory diseases.

Patients who present to their general practitioner with high blood pressure can be sent directly to a CDC for further testing. These tests can be undertaken efficiently, with IT links to cardiac and respiratory services in acute hospitals for some reporting.