A £237m government funding package has been announced to further fund the CDC programme.
The investment aims to accelerate the construction and expansion of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across England, supporting 36 schemes delivered through new build, refurbishment and enhancement works.
Announced by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England on 13 April, the investment covers four new centres, 17 expanded sites and 15 enhanced facilities.
Background information from the Department of Health and Social Care indicates there are currently 170 CDCs operational across the country, with 108 operating 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
The new funding supports further expansion of the national diagnostic estate, with schemes delivered across three distinct categories of works depending on the scale of intervention required.
The latest funding sits within a much larger overall NHS funding increase of £26bn per year, which is the wider financial envelope being used to modernise and expand health services across England.
CDC pipeline breakdown
The 36 funded schemes are split according to the type of works being undertaken, ranging from full new-build facilities to upgrades of existing diagnostic capacity within established sites.
New (4): Full new CDC facilities being developed as part of the national expansion programme: Gorton (Manchester), Luton, Bideford, Boston
Expanded (17): Existing CDCs receiving additional space, equipment or capacity upgrades to increase patient throughput and service range: Bridgwater, Broad Marsh (Nottingham), Exeter, Eltham, Hull and East Riding, Ipswich, Isle of Wight, Leeds Seacroft, Metrocentre (Gateshead), North Bedfordshire, Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Tees Valley, Walton Hospital (Chesterfield), Warwickshire North (Nuneaton), Wembley, West Swindon
Enhanced (15): Existing diagnostic sites undergoing refurbishment or equipment upgrades to improve efficiency, modernise facilities and increase diagnostic output: Andover, Buckland Community Hospital (Dover), Cannock Chase, Clacton, Ely, Florence Nightingale (Derby), Grantham, Milford, Northgate (Great Yarmouth), Paddington (Liverpool), Redcar, Southlands (West Sussex), West Essex, West Kent, Whitworth Hospital (Matlock)
The CDCs form part of a wider programme to increase diagnostic capacity and shift services into community-based settings.
Procurement process
CDC procurement is primarily delivered through NHS capital frameworks such as ProCure23, enabling faster appointment of design and construction partners.
Integrated Care Boards also use national procurement frameworks and the NHS Standard Contract to commission diagnostic services alongside estate delivery.
In some cases, equipment, imaging services and fit-out works are procured separately to support phased delivery of CDC programmes.
Alongside improving access to tests and scans, the programme continues to drive construction activity across a range of delivery models, hospital refurbishments and standalone facilities.
CDCs deliver services such as MRI, CT, X-ray and ultrasound outside acute hospitals, supporting earlier diagnosis and reducing pressure on existing estates.
A monthly CDC roundup from Building Better Healthcare details a mix of completed schemes and projects under construction across the UK from March.
The CDC projects reflect a broader shift in healthcare infrastructure delivery, with the centres frequently located in accessible community settings such as shopping centres and high streets, and delivered through a mix of modular construction, refurbishment and new build approaches.