A new £24 million Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has been opened at Bedford Hospital’s Gilbert Hitchcock House, marking a major step in transforming health services for local people.
The centre, which officially opened this week, brings together vital services, including therapy, blood testing, and advanced imaging such as MRI, CT, ultrasound, and X-ray, under one roof.
It is the latest stage in the redevelopment of Bedford Hospital’s North Wing, which has already seen the expansion of the Enhanced Service Centre and the creation of a modern De Parys Group GP surgery.
Together, these projects form part of Bedford’s emerging “Health Village,” designed to give people faster access to care closer to home.
Read: MP welcomes new £24m health hub at Gilbert Hitchcock House
Charity praised
Bedford Hospital Charity & Friends (BHC&F) has played a key role in the project, helping to equip the new centre with specialist technology and features designed to improve patient experience.
Richard Sumray, speaking on behalf of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, praised the charity’s support.
The charity funded a cardiac ultrasound (echo) unit and striking back-lit ceiling images in the MRI and CT rooms, offering patients a calmer environment during scans.
Speaking after the event, BHC&F Chair, Deborah Inskip, said: “It has been a pleasure and most interesting to be a part of this redevelopment to create the Community Diagnostic Centre and to discuss the vision as it has evolved.
We are proud to support this wonderful new community facility.”
Quicker tests
The CDC will provide quicker access to essential tests and results, helping patients receive treatment sooner without the need to travel out of town.
Phase two of the project will add a new urology centre above the CDC, with further plans for another diagnostic centre in Luton.
Funding has also been secured to develop proposals for an Elective Care Centre at Bedford Hospital’s South Wing, aimed at reducing waiting times for planned operations.
Mohammad Yasin MP (Labour, Bedford and Kempston) was joined at the opening by Minister for Public Health, Ashley Dalton.
The parliamentary under-secretary of state for public health and prevention praised the centre’s central location and its role in delivering the government’s 10-year plan to shift more NHS services from hospitals into communities.
“This is about making sure communities like Bedford have these facilities right at their heart, so people can access their health service around their day, not build their day around the health service,” she said.
My Yasin added, “This new Community Diagnostic Centre is one of several important improvements we’ve seen locally, including the Same Day Emergency Care Unit at Bedford Hospital South Wing, which opened last month.
“The new facility will make a real difference by giving people in Bedford and Kempston quicker access to vital tests and results, helping them get the treatment they need sooner.
“The launch shows what can be achieved when we work together, Government, NHS staff, local partners and charities—to invest in better health and care for our community.”
Joining the hospital staff at the opening were several local NHS leaders and guests. These included Robert Oakley from BHC&F; Richard Fuller MP (Conservative, North Bedfordshire); Richard Sumray, Chair of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Laura Church, CEO of Bedford Borough Council, David Carter, CEO of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Robin Blake, Group Chief Exec of Ashe Construction and others were also in attendance.
Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
