Construction work has now begun at Walton Hospital, so patients across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire will be able to utilise a ‘one-stop-shop’ Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) from Spring 2025.
The £5.2m development at the Walton Hospital Site is part of the wider £29.9m investment in CDCs across Derby and Derbyshire. Following an ecologist review, the site is now undergoing preparatory work, including the demolition of existing old plant rooms; paving the way for a state-of-the-art modular build, which will house the new CDC.
Expecting to care for thousands of patients per year, the CDC will enable diagnostic services like blood tests, ultrasounds, MRI scans, CT scans and point-of-care testing to be delivered closer to patients’ homes and offer patients the ability to have several tests at the same time. The Walton site is the second in North Derbyshire, with the first in Whitworth.
Once fully operational, the CDC at Walton is expected to complete thousands of diagnostic tests per year and will support a wide range of pathways.
The demolition of the plant room and ground preparation is expected to take approximately ten days, with a custom-built modular build arriving on site in approximately 12 weeks.
Michelle Veitch, chief operating officer at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Community Diagnostic Centres allow patients to access services often closer to home. This means that our patients will have even more choice about where and when they receive their tests, allowing a shorter turnaround of results and the start of any required treatment.
“This is the start of the journey to deliver another fantastic facility for our communities. We believe the CDCs will reduce wait times for diagnostic tests and provide a more convenient and efficient service for patients in Chesterfield, Derbyshire and surrounding areas.”
Dean Wallace, chief operating officer at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust said: “The purpose-built diagnostic facility at Walton Hospital will be a fantastic addition to health services in our community, allowing more patients to receive even more tests under one roof.
“I look forward to seeing progress on site and to the official opening the community diagnostic centre next year. Thank you to everyone involved who is helping to make this much-anticipated facility a reality for the benefit of patients.
“We’re working closely with Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust again on this development. Our partnership is already providing clinical diagnostic services at Whitworth Hospital, Darley Dale, which opened last year as the first CDC in Derbyshire.”
Dr Hal Spencer, chief executive at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As a Trust we are delighted to be able to expand our services further into the community. Our partnership with Derbyshire Community Healthcare Services NHS Foundation Trust means that we can provide diagnostic services from community bases across our region, like Walton Hospital and Whitworth Hospital, which are settings which many patients find more comfortable and accessible.
“The purpose-built CDC at Walton Hospital will transform how we deliver diagnostic services to our patients throughout Chesterfield and North Derbyshire, where we anticipate around 5,260 tests being booked within the first month of opening.”
The Community Diagnostic Centres at Walton and Whitworth Hospitals are being developed in a partnership by Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Derbyshire Community Healthcare Services NHS Foundation Trust. Staff from Chesterfield Royal Hospital provide clinical services, such as tests and scans at the Community Diagnostic Centres.
The centres will help achieve:
- Earlier diagnoses for patients through quicker access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to investigate patients’ symptoms.
- Greater convenience for patients, by offering multiple tests at one visit.
- A contribution to cutting carbon emissions and air pollution, by reducing the number of unnecessary patient journeys and traffic congestion in and around hospitals.
- A contribution to reducing health inequalities by providing personalised diagnostic services in the community, closer to home. The increase in diagnostics available will support more ‘one-stop’ pathways in these specially chosen locations.
Current diagnostic services provided at Walton Hospital include phlebotomy (blood tests) and ultrasounds, and these will be temporarily located in other parts of the hospital while the purpose-built Community Diagnostic Centre is under construction. Patients are advised to follow the instructions and directions on their appointment letter, and the diversion signs around the site.