Eltham Community Diagnostic Centre officially opens
In yesterday (Weds 14 May) afternoon's sunshine, we were proud to officially open Eltham Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC)!
The state-of-the-art centre, located at Eltham Community Hospital in Passey Place, represents a £10 million+ investment in local NHS care and is now fully operational, offering quicker, more convenient access to diagnostic tests for thousands of patients across south east London.
Officially opened by Clive Efford MP, the event was also attended by Cllr Anthony Okereke, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council, and Cllr Linda Bird, Deputy Mayor of Greenwich. Our Chief Executive Ben Travis, in his remarks at the opening, praised the collaborative efforts behind the project and the impact the CDC will have on the local community:
“This centre represents what we feel modern, community-based NHS care can and should look like. With over £10 million invested and five years of vision, planning, and delivery, we now have a facility that brings care closer to home, reduces waiting times, and provides quicker diagnoses in a convenient, accessible location.”
Eltham CDC is part of the national network of 170 community diagnostic centres, designed to shift diagnostic services out of acute hospitals and into community settings. The centre is expected to deliver nearly 94,000 diagnostic tests annually, including:
- Up to 28,000 phlebotomy appointments
- Nearly 40,000 CT, MRI and X-ray scans using two brand-new £1 million scanners
- A wide range of tests across ultrasound, cardiology, respiratory diagnostics, and teledermatology
Operating daily from 8am to 8pm, the centre aims to make diagnostics more accessible, helping patients receive the care they need without long waits or travel to large hospital sites.
Eltham CDC is set up to provide extra capacity for all of south east London, not just LGT patients. Other local Trusts, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, will be referring patients into the centre and, importantly, Eltham CDC supports GP referrals, with many GPs across the region already referring patients directly to the centre.
Ben extended special thanks to the many individuals and partners involved in delivering the centre, including clinical and support staff across LGT, the South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS referring partners, and non-NHS partners such as Community Health Partnerships, LiftCo, and Murphy Philips Associates.
“Eltham CDC is more than a renovation, more than a lick of paint and a new logo – it’s a complete transformation of how we deliver diagnostics,” he said. “It’s about empowering patients with faster, easier access to care and supporting our hospitals by reducing demand. This is what community NHS care should look like.”
Gabi Darby, Chief Operating Officer for Greenwich at the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board, said: “This is an exciting time for local people in the Eltham community, and across Greenwich, as they will be able to access high quality NHS diagnostic services faster, and closer to home.
“It’s just one of the ways we’re pivoting into a neighbourhood health service, moving traditional hospital services into local communities and providing early support to people to reduce the risk of more serious ill health.
“This joined up approach to supporting people both locally, and from across South East London, will help us to improve access, improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.”