Wigan borough hospital to receive £10m investment for new diagnostic centre

Leigh infirmary, part of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WLWL), has been chosen as one of seven locations for a new CDC.

It is hoped the centre will be able to help with Covid-19 backlogs, diagnosing patients more quickly and meet future demands of the NHS.

WWL’s chief executive Silas Nicholls said: “We are delighted to announce our ambitious plan to develop and progress a £10m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Leigh Infirmary. We received formal approval in early September and we’re looking forward to progressing this exciting initiative at pace.

“The new CDC, which is just one part of our plans to invest further in services at Leigh Infirmary, will be an expansion of our current services and will provide a modern ‘one stop shop’ diagnostics and healthcare facility.

"The CDC will increase the range of diagnostic tests available at Leigh and offer an increase in diagnostic capacity.

"This will improve access to diagnostics, supporting faster diagnosis and treatment, all of which is fantastic news for our patients.

“Our aim is to become a premier centre for rehabilitation, diagnostics and outpatient services.”

Building work on the new CDC is set to start next year, with CT and MRI scanning facilities earmarked for installation.

In combining these services within a single centre, alongside the existing comprehensive endoscopy service at Leigh Infirmary, WWL says that quicker diagnostic facilities will be provided to the people of Leigh and beyond, treating around 40,000 additional patients per year.

CDCs also reduce the number of hospital visits as well as waiting times by diverting people away from hospitals – so they can focus on treating more urgent cases.

WWL says they are more convenient for patients and more efficient, with patients less likely to have their tests cancelled.

NHS national director of elective recovery, Sir James Mackey, said: “These seven ‘one stop shops’ are the next step in our elective recovery plan and a welcome addition to the 92 existing community diagnostic centres, which have already delivered more than 1.7 million tests and checks in just over a year.

“Our elective recovery plan set out how the NHS will deliver nine million more tests and checks a year by 2025 and the work of these diagnostic centres, some in convenient spots including shopping centres, are excellent examples of the innovative work being done across the health service to ensure patients get the tests and checks they need as quickly as possible.”