A brand new £10m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has been officially opened at Leigh Infirmary by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) welcomed VIPs and staff from across the departments within the CDC to the special event on Friday 8th November to celebrate the major investment into diagnostic services that will provide testing closer to home for the Leigh community.
Building work on the development began in December 2022, with the building and services fully opening on time in November 23. To date over 65,000 additional tests have been provided to WWL patients in the Borough, and weekly activity has ramped up to 1,600 tests each week. These tests are now being provided closer to our Leigh patient’s homes, where previously they were needing to travel to Wigan and, where possible, tests are provided in bundles to prevent people having to make multiple trips to hospital.
Speaking at the event, WWL Chief Executive, Mary Fleming, welcomed Mr Burnham, a Leigh local, and staff to the new facilities, saying: “It is wonderful to see so many of our staff and partnership colleagues joining us on this special occasion, and of course, Mr Burnham.
“Alongside our partners in the Wigan Borough, we have been speaking about the ‘Progress with Unity’ strategy for quite some time now and there are two mission statements, the first is about levelling up and addressing inequalities and this facility does exactly that.
“The diagnostic part of healthcare is key – the earlier you receive your diagnostics, the earlier you can step down and have peace of mind or the quicker it is we can help you and the better the outcome will potentially be.
“These facilities are vital as they are being provided closer to our Leigh patient’s homes where previously they were needing to travel to Wigan so, as far as patient experience is concerned, this facility is making a real difference. Well done to everybody involved and here’s to continued successes.”
The CDC includes an extension to radiology services, which now houses brand new Computed Tomography Scanner (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facilities, and existing cardiology, phlebotomy and sleep service departments have been remodeled to increase capacity across a range of investigative procedures including X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, ECHO, BP / heart monitoring and lung function. The new breast screening service will also be co-located with the CDC, reflecting the local needs of the population. This will now mean that all urgent diagnostic tests can be ringfenced at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, potentially leading to shorter waiting times in its Emergency Department.
Having the brand-new state of the art CT and MRI scanning equipment at Leigh Infirmary, the Trust is now able to offer both diagnostic procedures for the first time at the site – something that had previously only been able to be delivered at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital. What’s more, with increased access to diagnostics and additional capacity waiting times, waiting times will be reduced and there is potential to offer flexible appointments so that appointment times can be more convenient.
In addition, due to improved cancer survival rates, those living with and after cancer who still require follow-up scans can access services with minimal impact to their normal schedule.
Richard Mundon, Director of Strategy and Planning and Executive Lead for Leigh, said: “I would like to thank everyone who made this happen, our Estates and Facilities teams, Strategy and Planning and Operational teams, as well as Gilling Dod, our architects, and construction partners, Carefoot.
“It has been a mammoth exercise to get £10m invested into Leigh and it is vitally important to help address health inequalities and providing services that were not here before to this side of the Borough.
“Having these new CT and MR scanners is a shining example of what it means to bring facilities to those who haven’t had them close before. This is a one-stop shop and we are building on an already great heritage of delivery diagnostics at Leigh and going one massive step further.”
Patients feedback has already been provided with many saying they love the calmness and cleanliness of the facilities, as well as the convenience of them being close by their homes and the efficiency of the diagnostics taking place. Staff have also commented on how much they enjoy working in the new facilities and new equipment.
Following the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and a tour of the new facilities, Mr Burnham added: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to officially open the Community Diagnostic Centre at Leigh Infirmary. These are vital services that are making a real difference to the people of Leigh and the surrounding areas, and it is always a pleasure to be able to celebrate significant milestones such as this.”
The Leader of Wigan Council, Councillor David Molyneux MBE, said: “I was delighted to have a tour of this fantastic new facility and preview how it will make an impact on the lives of many of our residents. I would like to congratulate everyone involved at our partners WWL in bringing this project to the point where it is now open to the public. Improving the health service’s diagnostic capability in the Borough will make a big difference on waiting times, for example, and the new facilities and equipment will improve the patient experience.”