PEOPLE across the North West will benefit from faster and more convenient tests, checks and scans after the government today confirmed funding to open or expand Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) in the region.

CDCs are local hubs that provide patients with access to a wide range of tests, including MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds. They are located in convenient community settings – from high streets and retail parks to leisure centres – and many are open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, so patients can access tests closer to where they live, without needing to travel to hospital.

Gorton Medical Centre in Manchester, run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, is one of four new CDCs across the country, all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, that will open during 2026/27.

Paddington CDC in Liverpool, run by Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, is one of 15 across the country that will receive enhancements to boost diagnostic capacity and get patients seen quicker.

Patients will start to see the benefits of these upgrades from this year meaning people can access a greater range of tests at their local centre, reducing the need to travel to hospital.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for the NHS in the North West, said: “The new centre and enhancements mean people can get faster, more convenient access to crucial diagnostic scans, tests and monitoring in the North West. By bringing high-quality care closer to home, we’re ensuring patients receive the support they need at the right time.

“These improvements across the region are testament to the hard work, dedication and innovation of staff across the North West, and making a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Thanks to this government’s investment and modernisation, the NHS delivered a record number of tests and scans last year. But there’s still a long way to go before we’re catching disease on time.

“I was one of the lucky ones – my kidney cancer was caught early, and today I’m living cancer-free. But it shouldn’t be a question of luck. The NHS should be there for all of us when we need it, catching illness earlier so we can treat it faster.

“As part of the record investment we are making in the NHS’s recovery, these new CDCs part of the biggest expansion in NHS diagnostics in a generation – continuing the progress we’re making and helping save lives.

“We’re not just investing in more, but delivering differently. The NHS should fit around people’s lives, not require patients to fit their lives around the NHS. Community Diagnostic Centres mean patients can get tests, checks and scans while they’re doing their shopping on the weekend or on the way to pick up the kids from school – without travelling across town to a hospital.

“This is part of the extra £26 billion the government is investing in a new, modern NHS that is fit for the future.”

The government has announced new investment in 36 new and expanded CDCs. The 36 centres, backed by a £237 million government investment, will significantly boost NHS diagnostic capacity and deliver more care in local communities.

The funding is part of the extra £26 billion a year this government is investing in the NHS, which has already helped the NHS in England carry out a record 29 million tests and scans in England last year.

In 2025, the NHS in England carried out a record number of key diagnostic tests – almost 30 million – and has carried out an additional 3.5 million tests in the first 18 months of this government compared to the 18 months prior to July 2024.