Delayed diagnostic hub opens over two years late

A new NHS diagnostic centre has opened more than two and a half years after it was initially set to welcome patients.

Scarborough Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), in Eastfield, offers CT scans and walk-in blood tests, with MRI and X-ray services due to start next week.

The facility was previously hoped to open in December 2023, offering 91,000 additional checks a year, as part of a nationwide government push for greater access to NHS services.

Managing Director of York Teaching Hospital Facilities Management, Chris Norman said: "The centre will not only improve access to diagnostic services but also help support the long-term sustainability of healthcare services across the region."

According to the NHS, CDCs are designed to provide patients with quicker, more convenient access to tests, helping to diagnose a range of conditions, including cancer, heart and respiratory disease, at the earliest possible stage.

They are also hoped to reduce the burden on conventional hospital sites.

Despite the delay in opening the facility in Eastfield, the Scarborough CDC has been delivering diagnostic work since October 2023 from a temporary location at Bridlington Hospital.

Chief Executive of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Clare Smith said the newly-opened CDC marked an "important milestone" for healthcare across the Yorkshire Coast.

"By bringing more diagnostic services closer to where people live, we can make it easier and more convenient for patients to access the tests they need," she said.

"Earlier diagnosis can make a real difference to people's lives and health outcomes," she said.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.