£25m funding approved for Community Diagnostic Centre in Luton
New centre to provide modern healthcare diagnostics at University of Bedfordshire
Patients in Luton and South Bedfordshire are set to benefit from a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) located within the University of Bedfordshire following the approval of £25m funding.
The new centre, constructed by contractor Ashe, will house modern healthcare facilities for endoscopy, CT scanning, and bone density scanning (DEXA). It aims to provide advanced medical diagnostics under one roof.
Patients will continue to be seen by the same clinically trained staff as they would at the main Luton and Dunstable University Hospital site.
While inpatient and urgent endoscopy services, along with adult and pediatric CT and DEXA scanning will remain at the main hospital site, the CDC will improve access to healthcare by enabling earlier diagnosis, better long-term condition management and more coordinated care.
Key benefits of the CDC include diagnostics and follow-up care in one location, early detection for timely interventions, improved access to services closer to home, reduced waiting times, lessened anxiety and delays in diagnosis, and reduced travel to the main hospital site.
The CDC is a demonstration of collaboration between Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bedfordshire, aiming to enhance education, research, innovation, and community engagement within the region.
Melanie Banks, Director of Redevelopment and Strategic Planning at Bedfordshire Hospitals said: “This new community diagnostic hub is a fantastic step forward for both our patients and our staff.
"Bringing diagnostics and follow-up care together under one roof, closer to where people live, enables us to detect conditions earlier, reduce waiting times, and ease the anxiety that often comes with delays in diagnosis. It also significantly reduces the need for patients to travel to the main hospital site, allowing us to deliver faster, more joined-up care that truly improves outcomes.”
David Cox, General Manager for General Surgery and Gastroenterology at Bedfordshire Hospitals said: “This is an excellent outcome for the benefit of our local population in ensuring patients have accessible diagnostic tests in the heart of our Luton Town centre.
"Our Endoscopy facility within the hospital estate has outgrown its environment and the CDC will help to deliver urgent diagnostic tests thus increasing our capacity within a state of the art diagnostic centre, benefitting our patients and staff.”
Professor Andrew Church, Interim Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire added: “Bringing this Community Diagnostic Centre onto our campus is a major step forward for local people, helping to reduce health inequalities by making vital tests and scans easier to access.
"By removing some of the barriers that can delay diagnosis, this centre will play an important role in improving health outcomes across our community. It also gives our healthcare students a unique opportunity to learn in a real clinical environment, building the skills and confidence they need to support the communities they will go on to serve.”