Work has now started on converting five units in Freshney Place Shopping Centre into a bespoke Community Diagnostic Centre that will help to transform healthcare in North East Lincolnshire.
Once complete, the centre will allow us to offer around 150,000 additional diagnostic appointments a year to patients at a convenient, central location, rather than travelling to one of our hospital sites.
Due to open to patients in autumn this year, we will be able to offer a range of services, including ophthalmology, non-obstetric ultrasounds and a mix of pathological and physiological tests, such as ECGs and X Rays.
GPs will be able to refer patients to a centre, which are not only more convenient for patients but are also more efficient for staff and free up clinicians’ time to help further cut NHS waiting lists.
Now the demolition phase is underway and details of our plans are on display within the shopping centre, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson and Deputy Leader Cllr Stan Shreeve, who is also the Portfolio Holder with responsibilities for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, joined NHS project leads for a tour of the facility.
They were guided around the site by Ivan McConnell, our Group Director Strategy and Partnership, Mark Edgar, Associate Director of Estates Projects, and Helen Kenyon, North East Lincolnshire Place Director for Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Mr McConnell said: “It’s been a pleasure to take Cllr Jackson and Cllr Shreeve around the site today and explain more about our exciting plans for the site.
“It was also great to see so many members of the public stopping to read our information boards and find out more about the benefits this new centre will provide.
“Having this new facility and the capacity to conduct so many additional tests will be incredibly beneficial to the health of people across the area, as it will help us to detect and treat serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions.”
Cllr Shreeve said: “As a council, we are delighted to see this development start and cannot wait to come back at stages during the development in the coming weeks and months.
“As the owners of Freshney Place, the council is extremely supportive of this. It will bring health care closer to the people, with thousands of residents within our communities having easier access to vital care. This is extremely important when we look at our priorities of working with partners to improve people’s health and wellbeing in the long-term.
“The new CDC also helps the council to realise its vision of supporting retail in Freshney Place and the wider town centre with a number of diverse leisure and community uses, which will drive footfall and help to create social and community hubs,” added Cllr Shreeve.
