A new £120 million Health Park is set to open in Llantrisant, hoping to speed up access to tests and treatment for people across South East Wales.

The first phase of the health park, will establish a state-of-the-art community diagnostic hub, providing MRI and CT scanning, ultrasound, X-ray and endoscopy services.

Located near the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, it will be developed to meet the growing and increasingly complex healthcare needs of the local population, it will include a dedicated training centre for the future NHS workforce.

This is the first major capital investment project jointly developed by three health boards: Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Cardiff and Vale, and Aneurin Bevan. It is hoped the regional approach means more people will be seen and specialist staff and equipment shared more efficiently.

The Welsh Government is providing £120m towards the project and has just agreed funding to produce an outline business case for the next phase, which will create a regional orthopaedic hub at the health park.

First Minister Eluned Morgan and Health Secretary Jeremy Miles have toured the site.

Morgan said: "The Llantrisant Health Park is a major investment in our NHS, which will boost testing capacity and make it easier and quicker for people to have assessments closer to home.  

"Following the additional investment we’ve provided and the hard work of NHS staff, we’ve just seen a record fall in NHS waiting lists, now at their lowest level in almost six years.

"The Llantrisant Health Park, together with other investments in our NHS estate, will help improve access to care and bring down waiting times further."

Miles said: "I’m really pleased to see work get underway on this major project, which demonstrates our commitment to building an NHS that works for everyone in Wales.

"Bringing together three health boards, we are taking practical steps to reduce waiting times and improve patient care for everyone in South East Wales.

"The hub will also train the next generation of NHS staff, ensuring clinicians are trained to use state-of-the-art equipment which will make our NHS stronger now and into the future."