In April, both North Bristol and Weston Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) and Weston celebrated one year of providing diagnostic tests.
Since opening in April 2024, the two CDCs have carried out a total of 50,000 tests, helping patients to start their treatment sooner.
Both CDCs are run in partnership with independent healthcare provider InHealth, working with North Bristol NHS Trust at North Bristol CDC at Cribbs Causeway, and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) at Weston CDC.
They offer a range of tests for conditions including cancer, heart and lung disease.
North Bristol CDC is located next to the Asda store and is one of the biggest centres in the country. Services were initially provided in mobile units in the car park until moving into the building in September 2024. The building was then fully open by November, once endoscopy completed the full range of services on offer here.
More than 38,000 tests and scans have been carried out at North Bristol CDC in the year since the service launched, with more than 3,100 tests for patients referred by UHBW.
The centre, which provides scanning, X-rays, respiratory tests and endoscopy, provides services for patients closer to where they live, work or shop, seven days a week, making appointments more accessible.
In Weston-super-Mare, the Weston CDC has carried out almost 12,000 tests, improving local access to tests, where North Somerset based patients would have had to travel to Weston General Hospital, or even as far as Bristol for the tests offered.
In October 2024 the building hosted an opening event, with local health and community partners, including local GPs, in attendance.
Dr Chris Chubb, The Milton Surgery GP and Pier Health Associate Clinical Director, said:
“It has been great to see the positive experiences that our patients have had when they have attended the Weston CDC. I have had nothing but great feedback from those who have had appointments for tests there. What a great addition it has been to Weston-super-Mare healthcare offering over the last year. I am confident it will continue to be a success for many years to come.”
Maria Kane, Joint Chief Executive Officer, NBT and UHBW said:
“It is wonderful to be celebrating the first anniversary of our CDCs, and the enormous difference they have made in helping us see and treat our patients more quickly.
“We know getting to hospital can sometimes be a barrier to patients attending appointments, and bringing these services closer to where people live, work or shop has overcome that. Patient feedback has been very positive, so we look forward to further expanding our range of tests and availability during our second year.
Dr Joanne Medhurst, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said:
“We’re proud to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Community Diagnostic Centre in the area. Over the past year, these vital services have played a vital role in bringing quicker, more convenient access to tests and scans for thousands of people across our community. We look forward to building on this success and continuing to deliver high-quality, accessible diagnostics close to home.”