Patients, local people and staff are set to benefit from a new £8.6million Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) which is under construction at Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal.
The aim of the new centre is to ensure that patients who need diagnostic tests will be seen sooner and in a vastly improved environment. It will add to the number of diagnostic tests available, making it quicker and easier for patients to access potentially life-saving tests for a wide range of conditions.
The new centre has been supported by National Community Diagnostic Centre funding to improve and increase diagnostic services at WGH over a three-year period.
The centre will be located on level two of the hospital – the same floor as the main entrance - and will have new MRI and CT scanning suites as well as a welcoming and easily accessible reception area, a new waiting room, consulting rooms and other spaces with different types of diagnostic equipment.
There are four community diagnostic centre hubs already up and running in Lancashire and South Cumbria. The centres offer a range of diagnostic tests in one convenient location, helping to cut time and expense for patients who may need numerous tests.
Activity at the Kendal CDC will include CT, MRI and x-ray imaging, endoscopy and pathology. This project will also enhance WGH as an Elective Surgery Hub with the appropriate diagnostic capacity on the same site as a new expanding Theatres footprint.
The development is located on the site of the hospital’s old mortuary which is being demolished and replaced by a new, larger building. Building work started on the Kendal CDC in June 2023 and completion is estimated for May 2024.
A brand new MRI scanner is being bought and the hospital’s recently purchased CT scanner will be moved into the CDC.
Joanne Park, Head of the Radiology Departments at WGH and Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, and a Radiographer specialising in Nuclear Medicine in the NHS for more than 30 years, is one of the leaders of the new development.
Joanne said: “This is a really exciting opportunity and development for our service which will benefit our patients.
“We will have much greater capacity to see patients in Kendal and it will take some of the pressure off our acute hospitals in Barrow and Lancaster. It will also save people having to travel from the South Lakes to Lancaster for certain types of scans.
“The new centre will be a huge improvement for our patients because there will be a much nicer environment. People can feel nervous about coming in for tests, so having welcoming and modern facilities will hopefully improve their experience. It will also be better for families and carers as everything will be in one unit and the access will be easier.
“The CDC will enable us to be more flexible as a team and all of our stores and equipment will be in one place. This should save time and make our service more efficient and cost effective as everything will be close to hand.
“Patients will be able to come directly into the new unit and they won’t have to wait in the Outpatients Reception or go to different areas of the hospital for tests.
“Our Capital Services Team is doing a great job of building the new centre. We are very excited to be setting up this valuable service in Kendal.”
Currently the MRI and CT scanners at WGH are located outside the main hospital building, so bringing them together in one place will have many operational and financial benefits such as a much smoother workflow and the ability to see more patients.
The Radiology Department at WGH operates from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.
The Trust's Capital Services Department is leading a multidisciplinary team of architects, builders and engineers to have the project completed in time and within budget. The new building will house the scanning suite on the ground floor (level two) with a new air handling plant, controlling the room temperature and ventilation on the first floor (level 3).
Scott McLean, Chief Operating Officer, UHMBT, said: “We welcome this major and well deserved investment at WGH which will bring crucial tests closer to home and will help us to improve outcomes for patients with serious conditions, ultimately sparing more patients and families the pain and trauma of disease.
“Patients and staff will benefit as the centre will have a more modern and attractive environment as well as the latest technology. The investment will also bring with it exciting new employment opportunities and the enhanced facilities should make it more attractive to potential new recruits.
“By locating the centre at WGH, this will help our hospitals in Barrow and Lancaster to focus more on complex cases and on urgent and emergency care. It will also support our plans to develop Kendal as a surgical hub.”
END