A record 74,062 tests and scans were provided for patients last month in the South West’s growing network of NHS community diagnostic centres (CDCs), which are now all open evenings and weekends.

The 17 units are designed to increase capacity and to ease pressure on main hospital sites, so people can get treated more quickly.  They provide a range of tests including MRI and CT scans, echocardiography and phlebotomy.

Many of the CDCs are in locations such as shopping centres and near main roads, to make them as accessible as possible.

And their opening hours are designed to fit around people’s lives, with appointments available 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

North Bristol Community Diagnostic Centre

The record number of tests and scans reported in July comes as the number of CDCs offering extended hours across England has reached 100, reflecting their importance in the national drive to reducing waiting times.

The South West programme has contributed to this by providing 1.9m tests and scans since the first CDCs were introduced in 2021/22. With numbers and opening hours continuing to expand, the total number of appointments so far this financial year stands at 279,874 (April to July).

Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the South West, said: “We’re really pleased to see so many people taking up the offer of tests and scans at our 17 CDCs, which are often closer to home as well as being available outside working hours.

“We can see the impact in places like Bristol, where the North Bristol CDC at Cribbs Causeway has just increased its capacity to help meet demand, having only opened last year and already provided more than 51,000 appointments.

“The numbers across the South West will continue to ramp up as the last mobile CDCs are replaced by modular buildings.”

Patients can be referred to community diagnostic centres via their GP or hospital-based clinical teams.

Fact file:  

• CDCs provide a range of tests across imaging, physiological science testing, pathology and endoscopy. This includes MRI and CT scans, echocardiography, and phlebotomy.
• Individual CDCs will provide different mix of tests, depending on local need, in line with the archetype definitions (see here: NHS England » Community diagnostic centres)
• A CDC operating 12/7 is defined as one that offers at minimum one service for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• The 17 CDCs in the South West are:
  • Bridgwater CDC, Bridgwater (mobile unit pending building work)
  • BSW Banes Locality CDC, Bath
  • Camborne and Redruth CDC, Redruth (mobile unit pending completion of main unit)
  • CDC Poole @ Dorset Health Village, Poole
  • CIOS Bodmin CDC, Bodmin
    

    A scanner at the North Bristol Diagnostic Centre

  • Devon and Torbay CDC, Torquay
  • Devon Exeter Nightingale CDC, Exeter
  • Dorset Health Village, Weymouth CDC, Weymouth
  • Gloucestershire Quayside CDC, Gloucester
  • North Bristol CDC, Bristol
  • Plymouth CDC, Plymouth (mobile unit pending completion of main unit)
  • Salisbury CDC, Salisbury
  • Somerset East CDC, Yeovil (mobile unit pending completion of main unit)
  • Somerset West CDC, Taunton
  • West Cornwall CDC, Penzance
  • West Swindon CDC, Swindon
  • Weston CDC, Weston-super-Mare