People across the South East are benefiting from faster access to lifesaving tests and scans as the NHS continues to expand its network of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).  

The region now has the highest number of CDCs per head of population in the country, with 31 CDCs open across the South East. A growing number are open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, helping thousands of patients receive checks more quickly and making it easier for people to attend appointments around work and family commitments.  

£237million worth of funding has today been announced nationally for upgrades and expansions to new and existing CDCs across the country.  

In the South East, the Isle of Wight CDC will expand with a new diagnostic unit for breast screening, while Andover CDC, Milford CDC, West Kent CDC, Buckland Community Hospital CDC and Southlands CDC in West Sussex will receive funding for new diagnostic equipment and services.  

The region has also recently seen two new CDCs open recently and become fully operational. Slough CDC and Redhill CDC are already increasing diagnostic capacity and reducing pressure on local hospitals as the NHS works to shift more care into the community and away from acute hospital sites.  

The new Slough CDC, a £25 million facility opened fully in March and will delivery up to 150,000 additional tests each year, including CT, MRI, ultrasound, X‑ray, lung function and blood tests. The centre operates seven days a week and is easing pressure on Wexham Park Hospital while supporting GPs to diagnose and treat patients sooner. 

In Redhill, a new CDC located in the Belfry Shopping Centre opened in January 2026, offering CT scans, X‑rays, ECGs, ultrasounds and respiratory assessments. It is expected to carry out almost 40,000 tests in its first year, significantly reducing the number of patients needing to travel to East Surrey Hospital with its convenient location at the heart of the local shopping centre. 

Dr Christopher Tibbs, Medical Director the NHS in the South East, said: “Community Diagnostic Centres are transforming the way people across the South East access vital tests and checks. By bringing modern diagnostic services into local communities, we are reducing waiting times, easing pressure on hospitals and helping patients get answers sooner.  

“The new centres in Slough and Redhill are just two of the most recent CDCs that are already making a real difference for local residents, and they form an important part of our wider work to improve early diagnosis and support better outcomes for patients across the region.” 

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 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.