Matlock: Duke and Duchess of Devonshire open new diagnostic hub

The CDC in Matlock was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire

A Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Derbyshire has been officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

The NHS facility at Whitworth Hospital in Matlock is the first of five due to open locally by 2025.

The hubs are designed to offer a range of diagnostic services - like X-rays, blood testing and ultrasound - in one location.

More than 7,000 patients have used the "one-stop shop" in Matlock since its phased launch in February.

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

The centre at Whitworth Hospital also received an extra £140,000 of funding from Matlock Hospitals League of Friends.

Peter Vincent, chair of the charity, said: "We know that this new service will help and support so many people in our communities and enable scans, diagnosis, and treatment much closer to patients' homes."

The Duke and Duchess were given a tour of the new centre when it was officially opened on Tuesday.

The CDC at Whitworth Hospital in Matlock is the first of five due to open in Derbyshire by 2025

Michelle Veitch, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's chief operating officer said: "The development and continued expansion of Community Diagnostic Centres in Derbyshire provides an opportunity to transform care and increase the number of people able to get quick and easier diagnostics for illnesses - going on to get the treatment they need."

The next facility expected to open is at Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital in Staffordshire, Tamworth.

This centre - close to the Derbyshire border - is due to be completed by the end of the year. Another at Ilkeston Hospital, which will have Derbyshire's first open MRI scanner, is expected to be fully operational by January 2024.  The final CDCs to open will be at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital in Derby in summer 2024 and Walton Hospital in Chesterfield in September 2024.

Analysis

By Rob Sissons - BBC East Midlands Today health correspondent

With a huge backlog of work in the NHS community hospitals are once again coming into their own.

There were once many more community hospitals, small facilities in towns sometimes villages away from the big cities delivering care closer to home.

The coronavirus pandemic has reminded NHS managers of the flexibility the network of local sites offered.

In Derbyshire, Ilkeston and Whitworth looked after Covid patients, taking some of the pressure off stretched big hospitals.

Now with a huge backlog of NHS treatment, various community sites across the country away from big acute hospitals, are being used to boost diagnostic capacity.

Reducing waits for tests is seen as vital for diagnosing health problems early and saving more lives .

According to latest figures more than 31,000 patients in the East Midlands have been waiting over a year to start NHS treatment.

Improving access to diagnostic tests is part of tackling that big challenge.