FASTER diagnosis and treatment for urology patients in East Suffolk is on the cards.A £90,000 cash boost means specialist nurses and ultrasound scans will be provided in community hospitals.

FASTER diagnosis and treatment for urology patients in East Suffolk is on the cards.

A £90,000 cash boost means specialist nurses and ultrasound scans will be provided in community hospitals.

Outreach clinics will also be available to give patients quicker diagnosis and support.

Government funding has been given to the Action on Urology proposal, a project involving the three primary care trusts in East Suffolk and Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

It is designed to bring much faster diagnosis and treatment for people, close to where they live, by expanding specialist services in the community.

Referrals will only be made to consultant's if their opinion is necessary, giving them more time for patients who need their expertise.

Almost 200 applications were received by the Action on Programme, which is part of the NHS Modernisation Agency, to look at plastic surgery and urology. Only 33 were awarded pilot site status and a share of the £3m available.

They will each receive funding of between £70,000 and £105,000 over the next 18 months to be spent on redesigning and reshaping the service they provide to patients needing plastic surgery or with urological problems.

Programme director Nick Evans said: "There is a real desire to make things happen within the NHS.

"Doctors and managers alike want to improve the quality of care their patients receive.

"All five sites in eastern England submitted strong proposals for change that Action On funding and support can help them deliver. I look forward to working with them to turn those proposals into reality."