£25 million health hub for Plymouth

Residents asked to have their say

People are being invited to have their say on proposals for a new £25 million community diagnostics centre in Plymouth West End.

University Plymouth in collaboration with Plymouth City Council is holding a drop in event at the Guildhall on Wednesday next week.

Leader of Plymouth City Council Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) said: “We encourage people to be involved. Your views are welcome and wanted so let’s make sure we get a good engagement.”

The project for Colin Campbell Court was awarded funding from NHS England in August and was described by city centre champion Cllr Mark Lowry (Lab, Southw at the time as “epic news.”

A temporary CT scanner and support facilities are currently in place whilst the design and development of the building is carried out.

An opening date of April 2025 is suggested for the centre which will carry out more than 300,000 diagnostic tests each year.

It is expected to address some of the health inequalities in the city centre, which has the highest levels of deprivation in Plymouth, and reduce pressure on Derriford Hospital.

People living in St Peter and the Waterfront have a life expectancy of 77 years, roughly 7.5 years less than the most affluent area in the city.

Stuart Windsor, future hospitals director at University Hospitals Plymouth, said when the funding was announced: “We know that access to good, early diagnostics is key because having those tests early and getting an early diagnosis means people have a greater chance of a better outcome when there is something wrong.

“This should reduce health inequities for those living in areas of greater deprivation and improve overall health outcomes in Plymouth.”

Outpatient diagnostic tests will include MRI, CT, X-ray, lung cancer screening, ultrasound, audiology, ECG, point of care testing, and blood tests.