Sir James Duddridge KCMG, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, has welcomed the delivery of a brand-new Community Diagnostics Centre in the Victoria Shopping Centre.
The Southend Community Diagnostics Centre will be open from November this year. With state-of-the-art equipment, the centre will help increase diagnostic capacity and provide ultrasound, echocardiography, respiratory and phlebotomy tests and scans.
114 Community Diagnostics Centres are operational across the country and have delivered over 4.6 million checks, tests and scans since July 2021. These centres are vital to meeting the government’s ambition for 95% of patients who need a diagnostic test to receive it within six weeks by March 2025.
It is expected that the centre in Southend will have the capacity to deliver up to 24,180 tests and scans a year, which will help cut the local backlog for elective and cancer diagnosis.
Commenting on the news, Sir James said:
“It is fantastic that we are getting a Community Diagnostics Centre in the city centre, allowing residents to get tests and scans closer to their homes.
“By working closely with the independent sector to utilise spare capacity, patients will be able to receive the care they need quicker, all while helping clear the backlog.”
