Scunthorpe granted funding for new Community Diagnostic Centre

Funding has been secured for a new £19.4million Community Diagnostic Centre to be built in the town centre

The centre – which is due to begin offering some services to the public this winter – will be a one-stopshop for health checks, scans, and tests, providing you with access to a range of diagnostic tests closer to home, reducing the need to come into hospital and reducing waiting times.

Chief Executive of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, Peter Reading, said: “Our priority will always be to provide our patients with excellent standards of care – and we believe that moving some of our diagnostic services out into the community will allow us to do that.

“Our plans are at a very early stage but, should our planning application be successful, we will work with our partners in Primary Care, Community Healthcare and North Lincolnshire Council to build the new facility, where we will be able to offer patients tests for a range of conditions, such as cancer, heart and lung disease

– including X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, and CT scans.”

“Patients will be referred to the centre by their GP or consultant, and it will operate in parallel to our diagnostic departments at Scunthorpe General for inpatients and those requiring emergency care.

“This will allow the hospital to conduct an estimated 146,000 additional checks every year, enabling more patients to be seen more quickly, reducing waiting times and helping you to access the care you need in a more timely way.

“This is not only more convenient for patients but is also more efficient for staff and frees up clinician time to help further cut the waiting lists.”

Alex Seale, North Lincolnshire Place Director, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “One of the biggest potential benefits to you as patients would be that you’d no longer need to come on to our busy hospital site in order to have these tests carried out. Instead, you’ll be able to go to the town centre, where parking is plentiful and there are excellent public transport links. This also has the added benefit of freeing up parking for those who do need to come to the hospital.

“There are also infection control benefits, as reducing the number of people coming to our acute hospital sites naturally reduces the risk of spreading infections.”

Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, Councillor Rob Waltham, added: “This is great news for North Lincolnshire residents and another positive note for the high street with more Government cash backing the plans to build a new future.

“It is also further good news for the town centre in Scunthorpe - a major investment, backed by government, which will drive more people into the town centre for more reasons.”