News

A chance to make your opinions known on a major new Community Diagnostic Centre planned for Corby is available at special community engagement sessions being held this month.

 

Thousands of local people who need diagnostic tests like MRI, CT, and ultrasound scans, are set to benefit from a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) planned for Willowbrook Health Centre site in Corby.

 

It is part of a wider government plan to help tackle diagnostics waiting time backlogs and speed-up vital care for local patients - these also to include a second CDC at King’s Health in Northampton.

 

The Corby Community Diagnostic Centre public engagement event is designed to update local people on the plans, give them an opportunity for to give their thoughts as to how we can further develop ideas to strengthen this as a community asset, and ask any questions regarding the proposal. It is being held on Wednesday, October 18, with both virtual and face-to-face meetings available.

 

The Community Diagnostic Centres in Northamptonshire will be run by the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group - which consists of Kettering and Northampton general hospitals - and be overseen by NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board - the body that oversees local health and social care.

 

UHN Director of Strategy, Polly Grimmett, said: “We want to gather the thoughts of our local community on the new Community Diagnostic Centre plan.

 

“At the meetings we will explain our plans and answers questions on whatever issues local people may raise. That could include how people will access the centre for their tests, how big the centre will be, what it will look like, what facilities it will have, and how we are working with environmental specialists to ensure it has a minimum impact on local birds, mammals and trees.”

 

A Community Diagnostic Centre enables significant extra capacity for diagnostic tests - done outside the hospital environment - at a location closer to people’s homes.  Access is through GP referrals, screening programmes, and outpatient appointments, only and will not be available as a walk-in service. 

 

The Corby Community Diagnostic Centre will include: 

 

The aim for the Corby development is to get it up and running by 2024 which means the hospital will need to work at pace to plan, design, develop and build the centre.

 

Chief Medical Officer for the Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (NICB), Matt Metcalf, said: “We understand how important people’s health is to them and how anxious it can make people feel if they have to wait a long time for tests.

 

“The CDC will operate for 12 hours a day and for seven-days-a-week. The additional appointments they provide - in both Corby and Northampton - will help support GPs and hospital staff in diagnosing many potentially life-threatening, or debilitating conditions, at an earlier point. In turn this will help us treat conditions and reduce the risk of emergency attendances in hospital.

 

“It will also help us to reduce the stress and uncertainty patients face while waiting for the more specialised diagnostic tests like CT and MRI to determine what is wrong with them.”

 

Local people are invited to attend either our face-to-face or virtual meeting meetings.

 

Both meetings, will be hosted on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, by Polly Grimmett, Director of Strategy for University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, and Matt Metcalf Chief Medical Officer for the Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (NICB).

 

The Face to Face meeting is being held from 1.15pm-2.15pm at the Corby Cube, Parkland Gateway, George Street, Corby, NN17 1QR. Places are limited and can be booked here. The virtual meeting is at 2.45pm-3.45pm and is accessible via our website here

 

If you are unable to attend the face-to-face meeting or virtual event, but you have any further questions please email  kgh-tr.cdcproject@nhs.net or telephone 01536 493968 / 07813 363677. You can also use these contact details to book onto the event if you cannot use the form and link above.