PRESS RELEASE : 6 million vital checks carried out at local diagnostic centres [January 2024]

• The hubs play an important role in cutting waiting lists, speeding up diagnoses and treatments
• The programme, backed by £2.3 billion, is the largest central cash investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS

More than 6 million tests, scans and health checks have taken place at community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across the country, helping speed up diagnoses and treatments for NHS patients.

A total of 6.1 million checks were carried out at CDCs as of November 2023, since they were first introduced in July 2021.

Based in a variety of settings including shopping centres, university campuses and football stadiums, 141 of the diagnostic centres, including 4 temporary sites, are already open – including 40 brought forward earlier than planned. They offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are treated, reducing the need for hospital visits and helping them to receive potentially life-saving care sooner.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said:

The government’s £2.3 billion community diagnostic centre programme is the largest investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS. Placing high-tech equipment in places like shopping centres and near football stadiums makes it simpler for patients to get the care they need, as quickly as possible.

We have now opened 141 CDCs across England, with more to come, and they are playing a vital role in faster diagnosis of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.

Patients are referred to CDCs via their GP. Healthcare staff use CT scanners, MRI scanners and other new diagnostic equipment to diagnose a range of health conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment are key in preventing death and illness.

The programme, backed by £2.3 billion, constitutes the largest central cash investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS and we are on track to meet our target to open 160 CDCs by March 2025, with many due to open ahead of schedule.

Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS Medical Director for Transformation, said:

Thanks to the hard work of staff, latest data shows the NHS has delivered a record 25.9 million tests and checks over the past year – 2 million more than the previous 12 months, and almost 50% more than a decade ago – helping ensure patients get the all-clear or diagnosis, so they can be treated for a range of conditions as quickly as possible.

Millions of these tests have been performed at one of our 141 ‘one stop shops’ open across the country, situated in locations most convenient for patients, so I would encourage anyone with a health concern to come forward and get checked – it could save your life.

As a result of the success of the CDC programme and the wider measures outlined in the elective recovery plan, the government met its target to virtually eliminate waits of over 2 years and has cut 18-month waits by over 90% from the peak in September 2021.

In November, the government also provided £800 million – a combination of reprioritised and new funding – to mitigate the impact of industrial action.

It is also maximising independent sector capacity to reduce waiting times for NHS patients. A number of the CDCs are run by the independent sector but available to NHS patients as part of the programme.

Background information

DHSC and NHS England count CDCs delivering tests and accessing national funding as open. This may include temporary sites while the full CDC is completed.

Read the Department of Health and Social Care’s media blog for:

• more information on the government’s plans to tackle the NHS backlog
• more information on how the government is supporting the NHS this winter

Full list of open CDCs

East of England:

• Bishop’s Stortford CDC
• Braintree CDC
• Clacton CDC
• East Norfolk CDC
• New QEII Hospital CDC
• North Bedfordshire CDC
• Thurrock CDC
• West Essex CDC
• Whitehouse Health Centre CDC
• Wisbech CDC

London:

• Barking Community Hospital CDC
• Eltham Community Hospital CDC
• Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC
• Kingston CDC
• Mile End Hospital CDC
• North West London Ealing CDC
• Purley CDC
• Queen Mary’s Hospital Roehampton CDC
• St George’s Hornchurch CDC
• Wembley CDC
• Willesden CDC
• Wood Green CDC

Midlands:

• Cannock Chase CDC
• Corbett CDC
• Corby CDC
• Coventry City Community CDC
• Florence Nightingale Community Hospital CDC
• Grantham CDC
• Guest CDC
• Hereford City CDC
• Hinckley CDC
• Ilkeston Community Hospital CDC
• Kidderminster Treatment Centre CDC
• Kings Heath CDC
• Leicester CDC
• Mansfield CDC
• Merry Hill CDC
• North Solihull CDC
• Rugby St Cross CDC
• Shrewsbury and Telford CDC
• Sir Robert Peel CDC
• South Birmingham CDC
• South Warwickshire CDC
• Stoke-on-Trent CDC
• Walton CDC
• Warwickshire North CDC
• Washwood Heath CDC
• Whitworth Hospital CDC

North East and Yorkshire:

• Armley Moor Health Centre CDC
• Askham Bar Community Care Centre CDC
• Barnsley Glassworks CDC
• Bishop Auckland CDC
• Blaydon CDC (closes when ICP North – Metrocentre opens)
• Bradford District and Craven CDC
• East Riding Community Hospital CDC
• Friarage CDC
• Halifax CDC
• Hartlepool CDC
• Huddersfield CDC
• Lawson Street CDC (closes when new Tees Valley Hub opens)
• Leeds CDC
• Montagu Hospital CDC
• Penrith CDC (closes when North Cumbria opens)
• Redcar CDC
• Rotherham Diagnostics CDC
• Scarborough Gateway CDC
• Selby War Memorial CDC
• Wakefield CDC

North West:

• Bolton CDC
• Burnley General Hospital CDC
• Clatterbridge Diagnostics CDC
• Crossland Day Hospital CDC
• East Cheshire CDC
• Ellesmere Port CDC
• Fleetwood CDC
• Heysham CDC
• Leigh CDC
• Liverpool Women’s Hospital CDC
• Manchester and Trafford CDC
• Northern Care Alliance Oldham CDC
• Paddington CDC
• Preston Healthport CDC
• Rossendale CDC
• Salford CDC
• Shopping City CDC
• South East Manchester
• Southport CDC
• St Helens CDC
• Victoria Infirmary Northwich CDC
• Warrington and Halton CDC
• Westmorland CDC
• Whitegate Drive CDC

South East:

• Amersham CDC
• Andover CDC
• Bexhill CDC
• Bognor Regis WMH CDC
• Bracknell CDC
• Buckland Community Hospital CDC
• Caterham Dene CDC
• Crawley Collaborative CDC
• Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley CDC
• Falmer CDC
• Fareham CDC
• Heatherwood CDC
• Hythe CDC
• Island CDC
• Lymington New Forest Hospital CDC
• Medway CDC
• Milford Community Hospital CDC
• Oak Park CDC
• Oxford CDC
• Portsmouth CDC
• Queen Victoria Hospital CDC
• Romsey CDC
• Royal South Hants CDC
• Southlands Hospital CDC
• Swale CDC
• West Berkshire Community Hospital CDC
• West Kent CDC
• Woking Community Hospital CDC

South West:

• Boscombe AECC CDC
• Bridgwater CDC
• BSW BaNES Locality CDC
• CDC Poole at Dorset Health Village
• CIOS Bodmin CDC
• Devon and Torbay CDC
• Devon Exeter Nightingale CDC
• Gloucestershire Quayside CDC
• North Bristol CDC
• Plymouth CDC
• Poole, Beales CDC
• Somerset East CDC
• Somerset West CDC
• South Petherton CDC
• South Walks CDC
• Taunton Central CDC
• West Cornwall CDC
• West Mendip CDC
• Weston CDC
• Weymouth CDC
• Yeovil CDC (closes when Somerset East CDC fully patient ready)