New diagnosis centres to be up and running by spring

The first open MRI scanner in Derbyshire will be at the diagnostic centre in Ilkeston

Five new diagnostic hubs offering services including blood tests, CT and MRI scans are set to fully open by spring.

The community diagnostic centres (CDC), four of which are in Derbyshire with the other in Staffordshire, are all based at community hospitals.

The facility in Matlock is up and running, and the four others are already offering some services but will fully open over the coming months - Derby, Ilkeston, and Tamworth will launch in November, and Chesterfield in March.

Mike Goodwin, who is leading the CDC's programme, said the centres aimed to improve outcomes for things like cancer, heart disease and respiratory conditions by getting patients tested earlier.

The centres will be "one-stop shops designed to provide easier access to key diagnostic tests," said Mr Goodwin

Joined Up Care Derbyshire - the integrated care system for Derby and Derbyshire - was given £29.9m of government funding to develop five facilities.

The centres are based at Whitworth Hospital in Matlock, Florence Nightingale Community Hospital in Derby, Sir Robert Peel Hospital in Tamworth, Ilkeston Community Hospital, and Walton Hospital in Chesterfield.

Mr Goodwin said they were expecting to deliver 9,000 tests a week across all sites.

They are part of a national rollout of 170 centres across the country, he added.

A CT scanner was delivered to the Ilkeston diagnostic centre on Saturday

In Ilkeston, a CT scanner was delivered on Saturday, ready for the mid-November opening.

Mr Goodwin said it was the first time the hospital had a CT scanner.

"It is fantastic we have got that facility in Ilkeston," he said.

"It means we are able to offer that key diagnostic test, which is really important for things like diagnosing cancer at an earlier stage out in the community."

Building work is expected to be completed over the coming months

Also at Ilkeston CDC, the first open MRI scanner in Derbyshire will be available to patients.

Mr Goodwin said this was for people unable to tolerate a normal MRI scanner, which could "be noisy, claustrophobic and off-putting".

An open scanner was quieter and offered a longer appointment slot, he added.

"There are some in London, one in Birmingham, one Leeds but this is the first in our region," he said.