NHS service to move into vacant Metrocentre site

The new centre will offer MRI and other diagnostics

Two health trusts plan to open a diagnostic service in a former department store at a shopping centre.

Gateshead Health and Newcastle Hospitals NHS trusts have signed a £20m lease to rent part of the old House of Fraser in the borough's Metrocentre.

The community diagnostic centre (CDC) will provide magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and respiratory and cardiac investigations.

The trusts said the centre would "provide a much-needed boost to diagnostic services" and make it easier to access care closer to home.

They added the 40,000 sq ft (3,720 sq metre) facility was designed to help the increasing number of people being referred to access screening and diagnostic tests outside a hospital setting.

The extra capacity - about 145,000 appointments a year - would also speed up diagnoses, they said.

'Significant new footfall'

Luxury retailer Harrods has taken over part of the downstairs of the old House of Fraser, which closed in 2021.

The CDC will fit in behind, filling the majority of what remains on that level and will be accessed from the first floor, the trusts said.

Ben Cox, from property developer Sovereign Centros which manages the mall, said it was a "major milestone in the evolution of the centre".

It would be a "key regional location for alternative uses including healthcare", he said.

The 134 expected new jobs and "significant new footfall" would benefit other shops on the site, he added.

The CDC is due to open in 2024 but the trusts said they would also be running additional diagnostic services in Blaydon from the end of this year.