MP welcomes announcement of a new community diagnostic health centre in Hastings

The new centre in the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre will provide services including MRI, CT, ultrasound, plain film, DEXA, ECHO, lung function, fibroscan, GCA and phlebotomy tests. Once fully operational, the new centre, together with the Bexhill Hub, will deliver an extra 52,577 tests, checks and scans a year.

Backed by £2.3 billion in government funding, these centres are based in convenient locations such as shopping centres, football stadiums and existing hospital or GP sites. CDCs have already delivered an additional 3 million tests, checks and scans.

Monday’s announcement of 19 more CDCs across the country set to open by the end of the year will help to cut waiting times for elective procedures and cancer treatment, bringing down the backlog from COVID-19 and improving patient outcomes.

Sally-Ann Hart said: “I am delighted that thousands of patients in Hastings will get quicker access to life-saving tests, scans and checks at a new one-stop shop.“Getting the right checks, tests and scans at the right time is crucial to helping people stay well and receive the care they need.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Rapid diagnosis offers reassurance to patients, reduces waiting lists, and crucially saves lives.“CDCs have been fundamental to this effort, delivering over 3 million extra tests which are helping to diagnose conditions from cancer to lung disease more quickly across the country.“The new centres will take us even further, utilising cutting-edge MRI, CT and X-ray machine to transform the way we deliver care closer to people’s homes helping tens of thousands of people.”