What are we doing?
A new diagnostic centre is to be built in the West End as part of wider long-term regeneration plans for Colin Campbell Court.
Once operational, the staff at the Community Diagnostic Centre will be able to carry out over 90,000 tests every year, providing outpatient diagnostics including MRI, CT, x-ray, lung cancer screening, ultrasound, audiology, ECG, point of care testing and blood tests.
These scans enable radiologists to detect disease or injury as early as possible. The benefits include reducing the need for exploratory surgeries, faster cancer diagnosis, and helping to determine treatment of injury, cardiac disease and stroke.
Why are we doing this?
This centre aims to improve the health of our residents, especially those living in the city centre and the nearby neighbourhoods of Stonehouse, Millbay and Devonport.
Having more people use a facility in the city centre will also support local businesses as it will increase the number of people using this part of the West End, hopefully encouraging people to pop in to shop or grab a coffee.
What’s happened so far?
Over the last few years the Council has been steadily acquiring properties as part of its wider West End regeneration scheme.
A number of these have now been demolished and the site overlooking Western Approach will be the location for the new centre.
The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust with Council support, submitted a bid to the government for funding for a new centre to help people to get tested, improving the health of Plymouth’s residents and in June 2023 the Government confirmed funding would be available.
Earlier this year the CDC was granted planning permission and the Council recently authorised the sale of the site – valued at £270,000 – for one pound to the trust.
Further ground investigations and some enabling works will take place later this month (April), with work on the main building starting in June.
Rubble from the demolished buildings is being moved to other building sites across the city, including the Council’s new district centre at Derriford. Some rubble will be retained on site and used as part of the foundations for the CDC.
BAM have been appointed the contractor for the project by the hospital and the CDC is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2025.
A temporary scanning facility was opened on Colin Campbell Court in October to provide these important services in the meantime.
How much will it cost?
It is estimated the project will cost £25 million to build. The funding has been secured from central government.
