Patients praise NHS diagnostic centre expansion
BBCPatients have welcomed the opening of new facilities at an NHS diagnostic centre in Derbyshire.
The unit at Walton Hospital in Chesterfield now offers MRI and CT scans and avoids the need for patients to visit larger hospitals, some of which have limited parking.
The £7.5m expansion of the centre took just 10 months and features modular buildings which were lifted in place by cranes.
It was opened on Tuesday by James Frith MP, minister for health innovation, who said it was part of the government's drive to take NHS hospital care into the community and that the centre would operate seven days a week.
Charmaine Saunders, from Newbold in Chesterfield, was one of the first patients to use the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Walton Hospital. She has since returned for further scans.
"I had a choice between coming here or Chesterfield Royal Hospital and I chose Walton because the parking is easier and it's quieter," she said.
She also praised the hospital's layout, adding: "The signage is clear and and as a result I felt much calmer when I went for my X-ray."
Rowland Cooper, from Clay Cross in Derbyshire, also praised the ease of visiting the new CDC.
"I've had CT scans and blood tests and the staff are excellent," he said.
Cooper's wife Anne agreed convenience was a big factor when choosing where to go for scans and tests.
"When you go to Chesterfield Royal it can be so hard to find a parking space and here is much nicer," she said.
"I've had a CT scan here and it's not so busy. You don't have to trundle down corridors and find places."
Frith, who opened the extension, said: "One of the big shifts we need to make is putting our care closer to the community, so that you don't need to go through an A&E entrance or a grand hospital to get the specific scan or treatment or diagnosis assessment that you need at the particular time that you need it."
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