CDCs helping speed up diagnosis of illnesses like cancer and heart disease, says Victoria Atkins

More than 6 million tests, scans and health checks carried out at local diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England since were first introduced in July 2021.

The UK government’s community diagnostic centre programme, which was first launch in July 2021, is helping cut waiting lists, and speed up diagnoses and treatments for NHS patients.

As of November 2023, a total of 6.1 million vital checks have been carried out at community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England, according to a joint statement released by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England.

Under the £2.3 billion programme, 141 CDCs have been opened across the country in a variety of settings including shopping centres, university campuses and football stadiums, offering patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home.

The government has set a target to open 160 CDCs by March 2025, with many expected to open ahead of schedule.

Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins said the programme is the “largest investment in MRI and CT scanning capacity in the history of the NHS.”

“We have now opened 141 CDCs across England, with more to come, and they are playing a vital role in faster diagnosis of illnesses like cancer and heart disease,” she added.

NHS patients are referred to CDCs via their GP for a range of tests, scans and health checks.

Citing the latest data, Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS Medical Director for Transformation, revealed that the NHS delivered a record 25.9 million tests and checks last year, two million more than the previous year and almost 50 per cent more than a decade ago.

“Millions of these tests have been performed at one of our 141 ‘one stop shops’ open across the country, situated in locations most convenient for patients, so I would encourage anyone with a health concern to come forward and get checked - it could save your life,” he added.

Thanks to the CDC programme and other measures, the government has achieved its target to virtually eliminate waits of over two years and cut 18-month waits by over 90 per cent from the peak in September 2021.