People across the South West will benefit from faster tests, checks and scans closer-to-home after the government today confirmed funding to open and expand Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across the country and in the region.

Bideford in Devon is one of four new CDCs across the country, all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, that will open summer 2027.

The CDC will be located on the site of the Bideford Community Hospital, creating a multi-agency Bideford health campus which supports improved health and wellbeing outcomes and healthcare access for the community.

Services will include x-ray facilities and will be supported by audiology, ultrasound, Dexa, phlebotomy, cardiology, and other services.

Patients will be offered one-stop clinics which will mean during a single visit they will receive an outpatient appointment, diagnostic tests, and interpretation and communication of results.

In addition to the new CDC at Bideford existing CDCs at the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Exeter, Bridgwater, Colin Campbell Court in Plymouth and the centre at West Swindon Health Centre, will be among 17 CDCs across the country to receive investment to expand their offer.

They will be physically expanded with new rooms and state-of-the-art scanning and diagnostic equipment more patients will have access to a greater range of tests at their local centre, reducing the need to travel to hospital.

Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for  NHS England South West, said: “The new centre at Bideford and expansions of some of our current CDCs means patients will get faster, easier, and higher quality care closer to home when they require crucial diagnostic scans, tests and monitoring in the South West.

“These improvements are testament to the hard work, professionalism and innovation of staff across the region, to make sure people receive the right care and support they need at the right time, making a difference to their health and wellbeing.”

Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary, 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 are 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 the other way around. CDCs 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.”

A further 15, elsewhere in the country, will receive targeted enhancements, adding specialist kit, new clinic rooms or additional services such as audiology, ophthalmology and respiratory care to existing facilities.

The 36 centres announced nationally today, backed by £237 million of government investment, will accelerate this progress further, significantly boosting NHS diagnostic capacity and delivering more care in local communities.

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.

CDCs are local hubs that provide patients with access to a wide range of tests, including MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds.

CDCs 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.