New Plymouth health hub gets go-ahead

The centre could be up and running by September

A new health centre for diagnostic testing in Plymouth has been given the go-ahead.

The Community Diagnostic Centre in the city's West End is one of eight to be announced across the country.

Plymouth Labour said it would "not be as large" as the original £41.5m West End Health Hub in Stonehouse.

But it said it hoped the centre including MRI, CT, X-Ray and lung cancer screening, could be up and running by September.

Councillor Mark Lowry, cabinet member for finance, said: "On the first day of our administration we submitted our application for this project and from that moment we have worked non-stop to get this project back on track."

He said residents had been "bitterly let down" after government funding was withdrawn from the original Stonehouse project.

But he said the preparation and groundwork for that meant this new scheme could "get off to a flying start", with designs already under way.

Mr Lowry said there would be a temporary mobile scanning unit installed for people living in the city centre.

The council said it had worked closely with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust on the project.

More services could be added in the future, it added.

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