A new centre set to improve diagnostic care for local people has received its official opening with a ministerial stamp of approval.

Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and MP for Gorton and Denton was present at the opening of the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at the Crown Point Shopping Retail centre in Denton in Tameside, together with NHS Trust, council and independent healthcare provider leaders.

The diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions, including cancer and heart disease, is set to get quicker, thanks to the opening of the centre.  

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust have opened the new South East Manchester CDC in partnership with InHealth, the UK’s largest specialist provider of diagnostic solutions.

Work on the project to convert the retail outlet space into the new diagnostic centre began just last year, with the centre having opened in September to welcome patients, and the official opening taking place on Wednesday 2nd October.

Services include MRI, CT, DEXA, Echocardiogram and Health Screening, with additional tests likely to be added as the centre expands in the future.

The services are for the use of the populations across Stockport, Tameside, Glossop and the High Peak.

With funding provided by NHS England, thousands of people can now receive these tests away from busy hospital sites.  Patients access the services via a clinician referral.

It is estimated there will be 25,000 appointments in year one, scaling up to 36,000 in year 5 and 50,000 by year 10, providing a large amount of additional diagnostic care.

Speaking at the opening, Andrew Gwynne MP praised the new centre as an excellent example of the government’s priorities of focussing on prevention, bringing more care into the community, and reducing health inequalities.

Tony Bell, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Non-Executive Director said; “It was an honour and a pleasure to attend the opening of this new clinical diagnostic centre.

Early diagnosis is very important in so many conditions, so the additional capacity this centre and its staff provides is going to make a real difference to the healthcare of people in Stockport, Tameside and Glossop.

The creation of this centre has been a great example of partnership working, and I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make it possible.”  

Jonathan O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer at Tameside and Glossop NHS Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The recent opening of the Community Diagnostic Centre marks a significant step forward in our joint efforts to bring down waiting lists and provide more diagnostic capacity to the population we serve.

“Getting people diagnosed and treated quicker is absolutely crucial to a patient’s long term health outcomes, and this centre is pivotal in our quest to ensuring our patients live longer, happier and healthier lives.

“Health care is most effective when delivered in the heart of the community, and there is no better location than Crown Point.”

Geoff Searle, InHealth CEO, said: “Across our nationwide network of CDCs, we’ve seen the real difference and positive impact that centres like these can bring for patients, focussed on improving health outcomes, so it’s fantastic to be doing that here in Denton, in such a brilliant locations.

“It really epitomises the essence of what CDCs are all about – taking high quality healthcare services and putting them in the heart of communities, supporting health inequalities and giving local people much easier access outside of hospital settings.

“Our mission at InHealth is to make healthcare better and improve access to services like the ones that are going to be delivered here, as well as reduce the time people are waiting for a diagnosis and care, so we are proud to know that we have truly delivered a fantastic healthcare facility and something that InHealth is very proud of.”