Photo (above) Visitors stand in front of the new Skegness Community Diagnostic Centre building.
An exciting milestone has been reached in the development of two new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in Lincolnshire. The external structures of the buildings in Lincoln and Skegness are now in place and the £38 million build programme to create the NHS-run facilities is now approximately half-way through.
In recent weeks, 71 modular units have been craned into place – 42 in Lincoln and 29 at Skegness – to create the shells of the buildings.
Work is now steaming ahead inside to create the state-of-the-art and welcoming facilities that will be home to a variety of diagnostic services, including X-ray, MRI, CT and non-obstetric ultrasound. These services will be run by experienced hospital staff from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, using the same clinical systems already in place in the county.
Professor Karen Dunderdale, Group Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, said: “The progress that has been made since planning permission was granted earlier this year is fantastic and we are currently on track to deliver these new facilities for Lincolnshire’s patients before the end of this year.
“We know that when anyone needs a diagnostic test, they want to access this quickly to support the rest of their ongoing care. Our CDC programme, through our first CDC on Gonerby Road in Grantham and temporary facilities in Lincoln and Mablethorpe, is already making a significant difference in improving access, and we’re confident that these new facilities will continue to reduce waits and make testing more convenient.”
Each CDC is being designed to consider the health needs of the local community.
In Skegness, plans for the Old Wainfleet Road site include a dedicated chemotherapy room to reduce the amount of travel necessary for cancer patients and a dental X-ray. These services, along with MRI and CT scanning, have not previously been available in the town.
Lincoln CDC, which is on Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, will have dedicated training facilities to support the training of future radiographers, with ULHT becoming one of the first NHS Trusts in the country to link directly with a school of radiography at the University of Lincoln.
Partners from a range of organisations, including the NHS, local councils, local businesses and the construction teams involved in the builds, recently held a celebration at each site to see the progress being made.
