New health centres on track for autumn opening

Prof Karen Dunderdale says progress on building the centres in Lincoln and Skegness is "fantastic"

Building work on two new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) has reached "an exciting milestone", a health trust has said.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said the external structures of the buildings in Lincoln and Skegness were now in place and the £38m programme to build the facilities was approximately half-way through.

The facilities will house a variety of diagnostic services, including X-ray, MRI, CT and non-obstetric ultrasound.

Both centres are expected to open in the autumn.

Officials hope the new centres will reduce waiting times and make testing more convenient

In recent weeks, 71 modular units have been craned into place – 42 in Lincoln and 29 at Skegness - to create the shells of the buildings.

Plans for the Old Wainfleet Road site in Skegness include a dedicated chemotherapy room, designed to reduce the amount of travel necessary for cancer patients, and a dental X-ray facility.

These services, along with MRI and CT scanning, have not previously been available in the town, the trust said.

Lincoln CDC, which is on the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, will have dedicated training facilities for future radiographers.

Prof Karen Dunderdale, group chief executive of Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, said: “The progress that has been made since planning permission was granted earlier this year is fantastic and we are currently on track to deliver these new facilities for Lincolnshire’s patients before the end of this year.

"Our CDC programme, through our first CDC on Gonerby Road in Grantham and temporary facilities in Lincoln and Mablethorpe, is already making a significant difference in improving access, and we’re confident that these new facilities will continue to reduce waits and make testing more convenient.”

Follow BBC Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]