Public opinions sought proposals for health centre

The £25m diagnostics centre has been planned for Colin Campbell Court

People in Plymouth have been invited to have their say on proposals for a new £25m NHS community diagnostics centre.

The project, at Colin Campbell Court, was awarded funding from the NHS in August with expectations that it would address some of the health inequalities in the city centre, which has the highest levels of deprivation locally.

Health bosses said they hoped the facility, which they have earmarked to fully open in April 2025, would reduce pressure on the city's Derriford Hospital.

The University of Plymouth and Plymouth City Council are holding a drop-in event at the Plymouth Guildhall about the project on 22 November.

Work to establish a centre is already under way, with a temporary CT scanner and support facilities in place while the design and development of the building is carried out, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The aim would be for the centre to carry out more than 300,000 diagnostic tests each year, health bosses said.

Tests would include MRI, CT, X-ray, lung cancer screening, ultrasound, audiology, ECG, point of care testing and blood tests, they added.

Leader of Plymouth City Council Tudor Evans said he was encouraging people to be involved to "make sure we get a good engagement”.

Stuart Windsor, from University Hospitals Plymouth, said when the funding was announced that early diagnostics were "key" because it meant "people have a greater chance of a better outcome when there is something wrong".

"This should reduce health inequities for those living in areas of greater deprivation and improve overall health outcomes in Plymouth,” he said.