New year delivery: ‘One-stop-shop’ for diagnostic care at Walton Hospital moves a step closer
The final delivery of five modular structures has now arrived at Walton Hospital’s Community Diagnostic Centre; completing the outer shell of the purpose-built development, which will offer thousands of patients across North Derbyshire additional diagnostic appointments each year.
Opening in Summer 2025, the £5.2m development is part of a £29.9m investment in community diagnostic facilities across Derby and Derbyshire and marks the second centre in North Derbyshire - the other is located at Whitworth Hospital, Darley Dale.
The ‘one-stop-diagnostic-shop’ at Walton Hospital will house ten clinic rooms for diagnostic services such as blood tests and ultrasounds, as well as cardiology and x-ray. It will also have a dedicated space for a CT scanner.
The purpose-built diagnostic centre will transform diagnostic care by providing essential diagnostic services more conveniently for patients in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire, enabling quicker diagnoses and treatment plans for conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory issues.
Michelle Veitch, chief operating officer at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This final delivery brings us one step closer towards bringing this important Community Diagnostic Centre to our local community – which will offer thousands of tests to people closer to their homes, providing more availability and the ability to have multiple tests in the same visit.
“We know how needed this centre is to our patients and over the coming months we will see the centre take shape to become a purpose-built development for our community.
“Thank you to everyone who has worked on getting the centre to this point, in particular colleagues who continue to offer diagnostic services in the temporary locations on site at Walton Hospital and those working on the project. We know our patients appreciate our care and the difference these services make.”
The CDC at Walton Hospital is a partnership initiative with care delivered by Chesterfield Royal Hospital colleagues, working from the Derbyshire Community Health Services building.
Jim Austin, chief executive of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Patients in the Chesterfield area will greatly benefit from these new diagnostic facilities being developed at Walton Hospital. Seeing the structure of the new building take shape, ready for all the fitting out and high-tech equipment to be installed, is a brilliant start to 2025. We can’t wait to welcome the first patients in the coming months.
“This is one of three community diagnostic centres located in our Derbyshire community hospitals, bringing high-tech facilities into the heart of local communities. A successful Community Diagnostic Centre is already up and running at Whitworth Hospital and another is under development at Ilkeston Community Hospital. This is being made possible by NHS specialist diagnostics teams at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and University Hospitals of Derby and Burton working closely with us to enhance care in these localities.”
More information on the Community Diagnostic Centres in North Derbyshire can be found here: https://www.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk/patients-visitors-and-carers/patients/outpatient-clinics/attending-community-diagnostic-centres