Former supermarket to become £42.6m medical site

Sainsbury's closed its Hanley store in 2022

A former supermarket in Stoke-on-Trent is set to be converted into a £42.6m medical centre offering tests, checks and scans.

The Sainsbury's site on Etruria Road, Hanley is due to open as a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), in 2025.

It will be run by University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), with about 180 people expected to work there.

The CDC in Hanley is one of 160 clinics being opened across England to allow patients access to tests and scans outside of hospital.

They are designed to reduce the time people wait for diagnoses and, once fully operational, the centre in Hanley will provide an additional 85,000 patient checks, tests and scans each year, said health bosses.

Sainsbury's closed its Hanley store in 2022, and the site was chosen for the CDC because of its good public and private transport links, meaning easy access for people who may find it difficult to get to the hospital, said UHNM.

Staff recruitment and training is already under way, and plans for the centre are progressing at "pace," according to UHMN director of strategy Helen Ashley.

"Faster diagnostics is key to diagnosing a range of conditions, including cancer, as early as possible," she said.

"If a patient needs more than one type of scan, the centre will aim to provide them in one visit to reduce travelling and waiting times for diagnoses."

In addition to MRI, CT, ultrasound scans and X-rays, the centre will also provide testing and diagnostic services including pathology, endoscopy, respiratory and cardiology physiology.