New £42.6m centre aims to cut diagnostic waits

9 hours ago

Lee Bottomleyin Hanley

News image — Dr Anne-Marie Morris said their team was excited and nervous about the centre opening

BBC A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, and glasses. She is wearing a high-vis vest over her clothing, and has a yellow name badge. There is medical equipment behind her — Dr Anne-Marie Morris said their team was excited and nervous about the centre opening

A new £42.6m medical centre created inside a former supermarket in Stoke-on-Trent is set to open to patients in a week.

The site in Hanley expects to carry out 180,000 tests a year and will be one of the busiest community diagnostic centres in the region, according to University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM).

The centre will provide a range of services, including MRI, CT, ultrasound scans and X-rays.

"It's modern, accessible, the latest technology and a really nice environment for patients to come to," said Dr Anne-Marie Morris, deputy chief medical officer at UHNM, adding that the team were both excited and nervous about it opening next Monday.

The aim of the centre is to provide much greater capacity for carrying out earlier diagnosis of a range of conditions - and to avoid patients having to to head to the Royal Stoke University Hospital for their tests.

A woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a high-vis vest over a dark jacket. She is stood alongside a large sign saying NHS Stoke-on-Trent diagnostic centre — Elaine Andrews said the centre would be like a "diagnostic factory"

The location - a former Sainsbury's - was chosen due to its accessibility, including having a large car park, as well as a bus stop outside.

Parking at the Etruria Road site will be free but time-limited, officials said, adding that as more patients would be directed to the city centre, UHNM hoped the centre would also ease pressure on parking at the hospital.

A long white and grey table, with a piece of machinery with a screen at its centre hanging above it. There are cupboards to the left against a light green coloured wall — Officials said the centre would provide people with faster, more convenient access to essential services

The project has taken about three years to complete with recruitment to roles starting a couple of years ago.

"We've put in a lot of apprenticeships, so those people now are coming through their training and coming to fruition," said Elaine Andrews, deputy director of strategy and transformation at UHNM.

It would be like a "diagnostic factory," she added.

"You should just be able to come in, have your test and then leave, and it should be pretty straightforward."

A large red brick building, with a red tiled roof. There are NHS signs to the left and right, and a large car park in the foreground — It will be free to park at the new centre in Hanley

The UHNM's charity has commissioned four artworks for the centre, the first of which is a large mural in the waiting area of the main reception.

The work features a range of local images including bottle kilns, a Spitfire, ducks, Burslem School of Art, Stoke Minister and the City Central mosque.

Gemma Thomas, from the charity said they wanted the artwork to be relaxing and bring "personality and some talking points, you can see yourself and all the landmarks that you know in Stoke in this mural".