Sites revealed for two new 'one-stop' health centres in Black Country to help tackle Covid backlogs

Merry Hill Health Centre in Brierley Hill and Castle Hill Institute of Technology in Dudley have been chosen as the sites to host the new community diagnostic centres (CDC), which will deliver CT scans, MRIs and x-rays for patients.

CDCs in the Midlands have now delivered over 370,000 vital tests, checks and scans since July 2021, helping to bust Covid backlogs and speed up access to services.

The hubs house a range of cutting-edge equipment, including MRI, CT, x-ray and ultrasound scanners and offer services including blood tests or heart rhythm and blood pressure monitoring. They are designed to speed up diagnosis of conditions from cancer to heart or lung disease.

And Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey announced today that a new CDC in Brierley Hill will open in early 2023, while the site in Dudley will open in early 2025.

One-stop health centres across England are backed by £2.3 billion in government funding and offer a range of services in the heart of communities.

Eight other locations for new CDCs have also been confirmed in other areas of the country.

NHS medical director for transformation, Vin Diwakar, said: “It is testament to the hard work of staff across the NHS that we have now delivered more than two million tests and checks at our one stop shops and latest figures show we have the lowest number of patients waiting for tests and checks since we published our elective recovery plan in February.

“We know that rapid diagnosis saves lives, and it is great news that more of these centres have been approved to provide checks and scans in the heart of local communities, making services more accessible and convenient while also helping to improve outcomes for patients with cancer and other serious conditions.”

The government plans to prioritise rolling out up to 160 of these centres across England by 2025 to help bust the Covid backlogs and enable the health service to deliver up to nine million additional tests, checks and scans a year.

Once referred by a GP, pharmacist or hospital, patients can access CDCs in their local area and get any concerning symptoms checked out.

Thanks to these innovative approaches, significant progress has already been made on tackling waiting lists, with the NHS virtually eliminating waits of over two years for routine treatment as part of the first milestone in the elective recovery plan.

The NHS plans to go further, including eliminating waits of over 18 months by April 2023, over 15 months by March 2024, and over a year by March 2025.