Plans to expand Bedford’s Community Diagnostic Centre have been announced as part of new government funding aimed at improving access to tests and scans.
The centre on Kimbolton Road will receive investment to support a significant expansion, including 10 new multi-purpose clinical rooms to enhance urology services.
The Bedford site has been operating as part of the NHS’s network of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC), designed to bring tests such as MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds closer to where people live.
The new funding will allow the centre to increase capacity and develop patient pathways, aiming to improve access to diagnostic services locally.
The investment forms part of a £237 million national programme to deliver 36 new or expanded centres across England, bringing the total to around 140.
Faster access to tests
Community Diagnostic Centres are intended to help reduce waiting times by moving tests out of hospitals and into community settings. Across England, the NHS carried out a record 29 million diagnostic tests and scans in 2025, according to the Department of Health.
Many centres operate extended hours, with services available up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mohammad Yasin, Labour MP for Bedford and Kempston, said the local centre had already helped bring care closer to patients.
“The Bedford Community Diagnostic Centre on Kimbolton Road is proving a great success in bringing care closer to people in our community and helping to bring down waiting times,” he said.
“I’m really pleased that the Department of Health has awarded further funding to expand the centre, including 10 new multi-purpose clinic rooms to support improvements in urology services.
“This is part of the Government’s wider commitment to fix our NHS and ensure patients can access the care they need more quickly and closer to home.”
He added that the expansion builds on other recent healthcare investments in the area, including funding for urgent care and mental health services.
