Richard was delighted to attend the official opening of Bedford Hospital's new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), based at Gilbert Hitchcock House on Kimbolton Road, Bedford.
Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) were launched in 2021 under the previous Conservative government. They have played a vital role in reducing waiting times and the backlog of routine appointments that built up during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last four years, CDCs have been established to provide access to earlier diagnostic tests, checks and scans in a range of community settings and Richard was pleased that the Bedford CDC, first announced in 2023 has now finally opened.
Richard Fuller MP said:
CDCs offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and potentially expediting the start of treatment. This CDC will significantly increase testing capacity in Bedford by around 50%, making it quicker and easier for patients to access potentially life-saving tests.
From now, diagnostic services including MRI, CT, Dexa scanning, ultrasound, x-ray, cardiology and respiratory will be operational in the CDC, allowing increased access to many non-urgent services.
