Green light given for diagnostic test centre in Corby

Corby Community Diagnostic Centre will be built at the Willowbrook Health Centre site

A new diagnostic centre which could see thousands of tests being carried out every year has got the go-ahead.

The Corby Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is planned for the Willowbrook Health Centre site.

Procedures such as MRI and ultrasound scans will be carried out in the new building.

The trust that runs Northamptonshire's acute hospitals said there would be a big increase in testing capacity.

Community diagnostic centres were introduced after a review by Professor Mike Richards into the way medical problems were diagnosed across the NHS.

The review suggested that community testing centres should be set up so people would not have to go to hospital for routine scans - and pressure on hospital scanners would be reduced.

'90,000 extra tests'

Northamptonshire will be getting £17m to establish two CDCs - one in Corby and the other in Kings Heath, Northampton.

The two facilities should deliver at least 90,000 extra tests each year including 16,000 MRI scans, according to the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group.

As some patients in Northamptonshire are having to wait up to 20 weeks for an MRI scan, health official hope the new centres will bring waiting times down rapidly.

Planning councillors approved the plans for the Corby CDC on Wednesday night.

Rishi Sunak views a CD for use during scanning at Oldham Community Diagnostic Centre

A number of CDCs have already opened across the country in places like Birmingham, Liverpool and Coventry. Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, visited one in Oldham in February.

A public engagement event about the Corby CDC is taking place on 18 October, with an afternoon meeting at the Corby Cube at 13:15 BST and a virtual session at 14:45 BST.