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<p>No formal reviews have been undertaken by the Department. Inpatient and outpatient
health services in Essex are provided by the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board
(ICB), Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, and the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB.
Further information of specific service provision is available at the following link:</p><p><a
href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/system-and-organisational-oversight/system-directory/east-of-england-region/"
target="_blank">https://www.england.nhs.uk/system-and-organisational-oversight/system-directory/east-of-england-region/</a></p><p>Local
provision of services is determined by the ICBs, rather than directly by the Government,
and decisions are made based on population need in the area. The Department is expanding
diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more community
diagnostic centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans, and checks. With 154 CDCs
open already, and up to 160 set to open by March 2025, these offer millions of patients
the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity
prioritised for cancer. Across all three ICBs in Essex, we have opened five CDCs in
the past year, with another location approved by the Department.</p><p>We are also
increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs, focusing on providing
high volume, low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons
of England. There are currently 100 elective surgical hubs that are operational across
England, including the Braintree Community Hospital in Essex, as of February 2024.
These surgical hubs will help separate elective care facilities from urgent and emergency
care.</p>
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