Braintree Community Diagnostic Centre handed to NHS Trust ahead of opening

The centre is set to open in September

Checking out a new CT scanner at the forthcoming Braintree Community Diagnostic Centre are (left to right) Adam Sewell-Jones, Group Chief Executive; Jamie Andrews, Director of Capital and Strategy; Natasha Kerrigan, Chief Estates and Infrastructure Officer; and Nick Purdie, Senior Project Manager

Author: Harrison CablePublished 19th Aug 2026

Braintree residents are set to benefit from faster access to tests and scans when the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) there opens.

The building has been handed to the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust from the construction company McLaughlin & Harvey.

The trust will now complete the final fit-out and installation of equipment before patients arrive in September.

The centre is estimated to offer around 75,000 additional diagnostic appointments in its first year. This will help to improve access to tests like CT and MRI scans, ultrasounds and blood tests.

The CDC in Braintree will be open seven days a week.

It is the third of four CDCs being developed across Mid and South Essex, with Thurrock and Southend's centres already open, and the largest centre in Pitsea expected to open in Summer 2027.

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