Corby Community Diagnostic Centre officially opened by Health Minister | Building a better UHN

Corby’s new £11.7m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has been officially opened by Minister of State for Health (secondary care) Karin Smyth MP.

The Minister visited the new Willowbrook Road centre today (Monday, September 15) and, after meeting staff and patients, cut a ribbon to mark its official opening.

Work started on the Corby CDC site in June 2024 and was completed in June this year with its first patients arriving on June 18.
 
Over a year the Corby CDC is set to deliver more than 93,000 patient tests to include:

• 7,700 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans which use powerful magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of the inside of the body used to diagnose or monitor a wide range of conditions and injuries
• 11,000 CT (computed tomography) scans which uses X-rays and a computer to create detailed cross-sectional images of the inside of the body to help diagnose and monitor health conditions, including strokes, cancers, broken bones, digestive and kidney problems.
• 13,300 Ultrasound Scans – These use high-frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of the body used to diagnose a variety of conditions
• 4,500 Echocardiography tests – tests that use ultrasound waves to investigate the action of the heart.

It will also deliver a variety of other respiratory, heart and blood tests including a dementia pathway designed to speed up diagnosis and awareness for patients with suspected dementia using MRI or CT diagnostic tests. The dementia pathway involves working with Northamptonshire Black Communities Together to promote dementia awareness and improve engagement with memory assessment services.

Corby CDC is open seven days a week from 8am-8pm and people will be referred to it for tests by their hospital consultants. 

Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health said: “I am delighted to open this brand-new centre here in Corby.

“Sites like these are critical bringing care out of hospitals, to places where it is easier and more convenient for patients to access, and with extended opening hours people can fit appointments around their life – not the other way around.

“It is thanks to the hard work of NHS staff and the government’s Plan for Change that we are making real progress in rebuilding the NHS. Centres like this show we are delivering on our promises and providing better services for local people.”

Laura Churchward, Chief Executive of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group which runs Kettering and Northampton general hospitals, said: “The opening of Corby Community Diagnostic Centre is a very important development for local people offering lots of very important tests away from our busy main hospital site.

“It will help us speed up the diagnosis and treatment on a wide range of a clinical pathways including many major health conditions such as cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke and diabetes.

“Early interventions help hospital staff and our community partners to treat and better manage these conditions and reduce the risk of emergency attendances in hospital.”

Patients praise the new service

David Binks, 70, from Corby, had an echocardiogram ultrasound scan of the heart to help doctors assess his heart structure, function, and blood flow.

He said: “I had an atrial fibrillation issue about ten years ago and my GP ordered the echo test to check-up on me.

“I got a phone call to book the test and was seen within a couple of days. I had a probe on my chest, totally painless, and the result was fine, which was great news. I think the CDC is great enabling you have to have these sorts of tests quickly and close to your home.”

The Corby site is run by the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire in partnership with an independent sector supplier, Alliance Medical, who are owning and operating in situ MRI and CT scans at the CDC. 

Chief Commercial and Operations Officer (North) for Alliance Medical, Barney Schofield, said. “The Corby CDC represents the latest phase of a close partnership between Alliance Medical and UHN. We are so proud to be helping the NHS in Northamptonshire to deliver early and rapid diagnosis to patients right across the county, in convenient and accessible community settings.”

Dr Jess Sokolov, Regional Medical Director of NHS England in the Midlands, said: “This CDC is at the heart of the Corby population. A town which was also one of the first pilot areas for lung screening. Local residents will now benefit from easy access to the much-needed diagnostic tests to address some of the health conditions prevalent in the area such as lung disease.  This will help ensure patients get a quicker diagnosis leading to treatment and better outcomes.”

The new CDC has been funded centrally as part of national initiatives to deliver more Community Diagnostic Centres across the country. 

Other local partners involved with the development have included GPs, Northamptonshire NHS Integrated Care Board, local authorities, and Chief Executives from North Northamptonshire Carers, Connected Together and the NHS England Cancer Alliance.

Future patient pathways being explored currently include diagnostic tests for breathlessness, asthma in children and young people, post-menopausal bleeding, and faecal sample testing for bowel cancer.