Multimillion pound funding bid approved for Mansfield Community Diagnostics Centre

A multimillion pound government funding bid has today been given the green light to bring Nottinghamshire’s first Community Diagnostics Centre to Mansfield.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced it had submitted plans to Mansfield District Council in January for the purpose-built ‘Community Diagnostics Centre’ – or CDC – that will run alongside its existing Mansfield Community Hospital in Stockwell Gate, Mansfield.

The plans had been subject to both a national funding bid and local planning approval, prior to today’s national announcement from the Department for Health and Social Care that confirmed the government funding had been secured for the project.

The plans are now available to view in full on the Mansfield District Council website, with members of the public invited to comment on the plans by Thursday 16 February before they are considered by the Council’s planning committee in spring 2023.

If approved, the Centre will become a ‘one-stop shop’ for patients to access the tests and investigations they need in a single visit, helping to give patients an answer to their concerns – including with an ‘all clear’ or diagnosis – sooner.

If the plans are given the go-ahead, the facility could open its doors to its first patients as soon as autumn 2024 to complement the services already provided at the Trust’s King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community Hospital sites.

It is hoped the Centre will welcome thousands of patients each year, as well as creating hundreds of new jobs across a range of clinical and non-clinical roles at the Centre.

David Ainsworth, Director of Strategy and Partnerships for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, said: “Community Diagnostic Centres are redefining the way patients access tests across the country and we’re delighted that the government has thrown their support behind this exciting project.

“Our NHS staff are already providing the latest advancements in diagnostic treatment and care and – if approved – these plans will boost those efforts and ensure that local people can access the life-saving tests, checks and treatment they need even more quickly.

“While there is still some way to go before those plans are finalised, this funding announcement is great news for patients across Nottinghamshire – as well as for the hundreds of people who we hope to recruit into the medical, nursing and support roles we will need to run this exciting new facility.”

A key driver for the Centre is to slash waiting times for patients to access the checks they need.

Getting a rapid diagnosis for conditions such as cancer will help patients access the treatments they need more quickly – something that could be genuinely life-saving, as earlier diagnosis is key to improving survival rates and quality of life for those suffering chronic diseases.

Checks available at the new Centre will include a host of X-rays, scans and tests for a range of other conditions, including cancer and other long-term conditions – like heart and lung disease.

The Centre will be built where a derelict building that is awaiting demolition currently stands on the Mansfield Community Hospital site.

Amanda Sullivan, Chief Executive at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “The confirmation of funding is excellent news for the people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

“The centre will reduce the time it takes for people to either get the all clear or receive a diagnosis, which will help them to get treatment more quickly. This could be life-saving for some people.”

NHS National Director of Elective Recovery, Sir James Mackey, said: “The NHS’s ambitious elective recovery plan, published just over a year ago, had these innovative ‘one-stop shops’ at its heart. Since then they have played a key role in helping us virtually eliminate the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment and keeping the NHS on track to do the same for people waiting over 18 months by the end of April, with the centres – often based in convenient places such as in shopping centres, high streets and community hospitals - now having delivered an incredible 3 million tests and checks.

“These 19 new centres will boost access for tens of thousands more patients and build on the great work of NHS staff in recovering services, helping the NHS deliver an extra 9 million tests a year by 2025 – an increase in capacity of more than a quarter on pre-pandemic levels.”

The news has also been welcomed by the local MP for the Mansfield area, Ben Bradley MP, who added: “The new Community Diagnostic facility is another major investment in Mansfield and the wider area, and part of Government's plans to improve patients' access to the tests and scans much more quickly.

“I'm absolutely delighted that we're getting one here, and hearing about the work Sherwood Forest Hospitals are doing to improve what's available to local people and reduce waiting times, I'm confident it will make a real difference.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the plans and the range of job opportunities on offer can find out more online at Sherwood Forest Hospitals (sfh-tr.nhs.uk).