Doors open at £19m Cumbrian diagnostics centre
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has announced that the first patients will be treated at the centre after contractor GRAHAM handed over the completed scheme.
Sited in the heart of Workington, the finished centre now provides a range of services including MRI scans, CT scans, X-rays, Ultrasound, Echocardiogram, and Lung Function Testing.
GRAHAM began to build the £19m project in May 2024 on behalf of the NCIC, which demanded improved services in response to a doubling of local referrals to diagnostic services in north Cumbria.
The centre was designed by P+HS Architects.
It is hoped it will provide another option for patients and lift the burden on more acute hospital services struggling with high demand.
The centre will aim to provide more than one type of scan per patient visit to the site should they need it, rather than requiring separate appointments.
Imran Devji, executive chief operating officer at NCIC, said the scheme would move care from hospitals to local communities and begin “preventing illness, not just treating it”.
He continued: “The centre will be a major step forward in improving access to diagnostics for people across North Cumbria, supporting faster treatment and better outcomes.
“Getting people diagnosed and treated quicker is crucial to a patient’s long-term health outcomes – the Community Diagnostics Centre is pivotal in delivering this.”
GPs or medical specialists will refer patients for tests and focus on planned care, to help free up diagnostic testing at the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital for more urgent issues.
The scheme is located next to Cumberland Council’s £12.4m Innovation Centre in Central Way.
