Broad Marsh announced as site for Community Diagnostic Centre and Nottingham University Hospitals chosen to run facility

Nottingham City Community Diagnostics Centre artists impression Plans have been revealed which show that a new state-of-the-art Community Diagnostic Centre will be located in the Broad Marsh regeneration development in the city centre, and will be run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Department for Health and Social Care announced last year that it is funding 13 new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), including one in the centre of Nottingham, to help reduce the backlog of patients waiting for diagnostic tests.

CDCs are designed as a one-stop shop which support GPs by providing direct access to diagnostics services such as MRI, CT, x-ray, ultrasound, echocardiography, ECG, and lung function testing. This allows for more rapid diagnosis of conditions such as cancer, which in turn will help patients access the life-saving treatments they need more quickly.

We have been working closely with colleagues at Nottingham City Council, who we will be leasing the building from, and now have an initial agreement in place for us to proceed with the £25million NHS facility.

The Broad Marsh regeneration has already seen the development of a new Central Library, car park and bus station, a new Nottingham College city hub and has transformed streets and public spaces in the area by increasing footfall, particularly supporting businesses on Lister Gate.

When the CDC opens in 2025, it will provide an additional 100,000 diagnostic appointments each year. Once at full capacity it will provide in excess of 140,000 appointments annually, which will be available to patients through hospital consultants initially, and eventually also via GPs.

Artists impression of the Nottingham City Community Diagnostics Centre

To help address the immediate backlog of diagnostics tests before the permanent CDC is open, temporary community diagnostics tests have been available behind NEMS Platform One near Nottingham Railway Station since December 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions for patients and the public about the Nottingham City Community Diagnostics Centre

What is a CDC?

A: Community Diagnostics Centres (CDCs) are designed as a one stop shop to provide direct access to diagnostic services for patients referred by their consultant or GP for services such as:

  • MRI
  • CT,
  • X-ray
  • Ultrasound
  • Echocardiography (ECG)
  • Lung function testing

CDCs allow patients to have their diagnostic appointments nearer to home without the need to attend the main hospital sites.

Plus, appointments are less likely to be delayed or cancelled because CDCs are separate to the main hospitals and so there is less likelihood of urgent cases coming in and needing priority attention.

Why do we need a CDC in Nottingham?

A: The idea of CDCs in England came from a national review into hospital diagnostic capacity, and it was decided that all health systems across the country would need to include a network of CDCs to help patients get access to appointments sooner.

An additional 100,000 outpatient diagnostic appointments a year (increasing to 140,000 once at full capacity) will be made available at the CDC and will allow for more rapid diagnosis of conditions including cancer. This in turn will help patients access the life-saving treatments they need more quickly and will therefore improve patient experience and outcomes for our friends and families living in Nottingham.

The Nottingham CDC, based in the Broad Marsh redevelopment site, is the second one in Nottinghamshire – a CDC will also be built in Mansfield and run by our colleagues at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Who will run the CDC?

Nottingham University Hospitals has been selected by the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board to run this brand-new CDC.

When will the CDC open?

The CDC aims to open in Spring 2025.

How can I get an appointment at the CDC?

When the Nottingham City CDC opens, diagnostic appointments will be mainly available through hospital consultants.

The CDC will also enable GP direct access to diagnostic appointments, however it is recognised that this may not happen straightaway while we work through our current diagnostic waiting lists.

We will continue to work closely with primary care and the ICB to implement direct GP access to CDC appointments as soon as possible.

Where has the money come from for the CDC?

The national CDC programme is backed by £2.3 billion in government funding.

£25million has been allocated from that money for this centre to be constructed, which is one of the biggest grants from the Department for Health and Social Care.

What will the opening times be?

We are still working through the details so will be able to share more information about this nearer the time of opening.

When the CDC is operating at full capacity, it will be open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How can I get to the CDC?

The NHS, working closely with Nottingham City Council, identified the site within the Broadmarsh regeneration area which is ideally suited for a CDC. Its convenient location in the city centre has excellent public transport links and is within 15 minutes’ walking distance of a number of communities, improving access to health services.

Patients attending the Nottingham CDC will be able to use a variety of methods to travel into the city centre as normal, including the tram, bus, train, car and on foot.

What facilities will be at the CDC? Will there be a café?

The CDC will be a clinical site for patients to have planned diagnostic appointments so it is not anticipated that they will need to spend long periods of time there.

There will be areas where family members can wait, including a small café.

How will I get my results, and will I get them more quickly?

Once the patient has had the diagnostic tests, the results will be sent to the consultant or GP that referred you, as per the current process.

It is expected that the overall wait time from referral to results will be quicker as there will be 100,000 more diagnostics appointments available for patients.

Will I receive treatment more quickly?

In addition to the creation of the Community Diagnostic Centre, NUH is investing in more treatment capacity for patients whose results show that they need planned surgery or treatment outside of what their GP can provide.

This includes building new operating theatres and refurbishing wards at our City Hospital site, in parallel to the construction of the CDC.

What the CDC will do is to provide patients with either answers or peace of mind more quickly, as they will have their diagnostics appointment and results sooner.

What happens if the scan shows something very serious, will I be seen sooner?

As with all diagnostics appointments, if something concerning is identified in the results, these will be marked as urgent when they are returned to the consultant or GP that referred you so that the doctor can take appropriate action.

Can I still have my appointment at QMC or City if I would prefer it?

When patients are contacted about their diagnostic appointment, this may be via a phone call or by letter, depending on the type of test or scan for which they have been referred. 

If contacted by a phone call, different locations and waiting times will be discussed and the individual will be able to choose whichever is most suitable to them. 

If contacted by letter, an appointment date and time will be booked, with the option for patients to call to change this if it is not suitable for them. Not all diagnostic tests for which patients may be referred will be available at the CDC.    

How can I get more information about the CDC?

We are at the very early stages of the CDC, and this announcement is the first step towards the CDC becoming a reality for our communities in Nottingham.

Therefore, there will be lots of discussions taking place over the coming months and we will involve patients and carers throughout the process to ensure that the facility is as beneficial to all our patients as possible.

We will keep patients and the public updated via our normal communications channels including the NUH website, social media and, where appropriate, patient letters.