The NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire has secured £34 million worth of funding from NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) for three Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).

The cash injection means quicker diagnosis for residents. Warwickshire North CDC, based adjacent to George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, will see a further expansion of services including diagnostic tests for cancer and new CT and MRI scanners.

South Warwickshire CDC, based at Stratford Hospital, has introduced different diagnostic equipment throughout 2022, increasing access to CT and MRI scans. In 2024, a dedicated building will be opened on the hospital site to co-locate this equipment.

Coventry CDC is also set to open in 2024 and will be made up of two parts. In Coventry, a dedicated CDC will be developed in the Paybody building on the City of Coventry Health Centre site, with major works ongoing from 2023 to 2024. In Rugby, plans have been approved for a new Endoscopy Unit to be opened at the Hospital of St Cross in summer 2023, with works set to begin soon. The Unit will increase capacity for CT and Ultrasound services.

In addition to the CDCs, part of the funding will be used to increase diagnostic capacity across Coventry and Warwickshire in the short term.

Funding was secured through a collaborative partnership involving Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), George Eliot Hospital (GEH) NHS Trust, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT), University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

Phil Johns, Chief Executive Officer of Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, said:

“I’m confident that these CDCs will play an important role in improving the health and wellbeing of our local population and I look forward to seeing the positive impact they have in enhancing the quality of healthcare across communities in Coventry and Warwickshire”

Glen Burley, Chief Executive Officer of GEH and SWFT, said:

“We are already seeing more patients in a quicker timeframe. The creation of CDCs has improved patients’ NHS experience, by enabling them to be seen quicker and therefore increasing their chances of earlier diagnosis.”

Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, added:

“This early diagnosis is crucial in giving patients the best possible chance of successful treatment and recovery, and I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact of these new CDCs.”