Braintree residents to benefit from new Community Diagnostic Centre
Braintree will be the second area in mid and south Essex to receive a Community Diagnostic Centre, which will be placed on the Braintree Community Hospital site.
The centres are part of a national initiative to support faster diagnosis and access to tests and scans closer to home. The centre, which is due to open in 2024, will provide a CT scanner, x-ray, blood tests, ultrasound, MRI scans and also heart and lung diagnostic tests.
Qaiser Malik, Clinical Director and Consultant Radiologist at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be awarded funding to build this centre in Braintree on behalf of the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System. This is the second CDC to receive funding in the wider mid and south Essex area. The CDC programme is part of a national initiative to improve better access to diagnostic tests and therefore improve health outcomes.
“There will be a period of public engagement as we go through the planning process and we hope people will be very interested to hear about the plans and give us their thoughts.”
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is leading on the programme with the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (MSEICS). The MSEICS has a wider estates programme, which is looking to enhance and increase health and care facilities for local people.
An engagement event will be held at George Yard Shopping Centre on Wednesday 10 May 2023 at 10am - 12pm with further events to follow. These are drop-in opportunities for residents to see the plans and speak to health and care representatives about what the centres will offer.