The diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions including cancer, heart, and lung disease is set to get quicker, thanks to a new centre in Salford.
The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) are opening a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Salford, in partnership with InHealth, the UK’s largest specialist provider of diagnostic solutions. The new centre will open to patients later in 2023.
With funding provided by NHS England, thousands of people will be able to visit it every year to get a wide range of diagnostic tests in one central place, away from a busy hospital site.
The Salford CDC will be the first of its kind in Greater Manchester to be located in a retail location, situated at West One Retail Park in Eccles. It will offer high tech scanning, heart tests and other diagnostic services, helping to detect a range of conditions quicker, ensuring patients can then be treated faster. Patients will be able to access the services via a referral from their GP or clinician.
Barney Schofield, Director of Planning and Delivery for NCA, said: “We are very excited to be opening a new Community Diagnostic Centre in the heart of Salford. We know the benefits that this brings for patients who can access important scans and tests often right on their doorsteps.”
“Providing these services in an easy to access retail centre connects to the wider national vision of ‘scanning on the high street’ by actually making it a reality for the people of Salford.”
Geoff Searle, InHealth Chief Executive, said: “We're incredibly pleased to be working in partnership with the NCA to create this new centre, which signifies a big step forward in providing additional capacity, improving health outcomes and increasing the range, scale and accessibility of services for the local population of Manchester.
“InHealth has been working in partnership with the NHS for more than 30 years, with 11 existing Community Diagnostic Centres in England, so we’re delighted to be expanding this model across the country”.
The new centre is also part of a national programme to help continue the recovery of services left overwhelmed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government has committed a £2.3billion national investment to open up to 160 CDCs by 2025 providing approximately 9 million additional tests a year for people nationwide.
By the end of 2025, there will be 26 CDCs across the North West, six of them in Greater Manchester.
For more information on community diagnostic centres, please visit the NCA website.