The first striking image of how Hull’s new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Albion Square could appear has been revealed.
The £18m facility will provide a wide range of city centre healthcare and an initial CGI of the how the centre could look shows a two-storey building with an entrance on the corner of Albion Street and Bond Street.
The CDC will feature a range of services including MRI, X-ray, CT scanning and ultrasounds and is expected to provide more than 100 jobs.
This comes with the aim of identifying health problems early and improving outcomes for patients with conditions including cancer, stroke, heart disease and respiratory conditions, as well as reducing waiting times and pressures on acute hospital sites.
Cllr Linda Chambers, portfolio holder public health at Hull City Council, said: “The CDC is a fabulous project at Albion Square and it’s exciting that we’re able to see what it may look like.
“Albion Square is a significant development in the city and seeing this visual really starts bring it to life.”
Plans for the CDC were submitted in late 2023 after Hull City Council’s Cabinet approved for the development to go ahead.
The NHS secured £16m in funding from the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a CDC in Hull, £12m of which will go towards construction of the facility, with the remaining amount allocated for clinical equipment.
The council will contribute £2m of funding from the existing Albion Square capital budget to support building costs.
Alongside other Community Diagnostic Schemes across Humber and North Yorkshire, this represents £80 million of capital investment in the region, meaning there will be a capacity for almost one million additional diagnostic procedures annually.
The CDC will be accessible for all patients, with bus services directly serving the location and Paragon Interchange only a short walk away.
Jonathan Lofthouse, Group Chief Executive for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Thousands of tests are performed locally across the NHS each week, helping to identify disease, diagnose problems or confirm diagnoses and then shape patients’ future treatment and ongoing care.
“The development of a new Community Diagnostic Centre will be a significant step forward for Hull and the surrounding area, as not only will it speed up access to NHS care, but it will also create over 100 NHS jobs for local people once it’s fully operational.
“Waiting for tests can be the cause of real anxiety for some people, so the CDC will enable our staff to carry out those tests more quickly and enable patients to undergo multiple tests at the same visit if required, in some cases seven days a week.
“With access to all the latest technology such as MRI scanners, CT scanners, ultrasound and ECG, this venture will help to reduce the number of appointments which patients are asked to attend and enable them to undergo their tests in more suitable, purpose-built accommodation outside of a main hospital setting.”
The facility’s central location is also expected to provide practical and economical benefits by encouraging additional city centre footfall, therefore supporting local businesses and the wider economy.
Preparatory work has already begun on the development, with Albion Street car park undergoing reconstruction.
Parking is still available for patients accessing the Wilberforce Centre, whilst the newly-improved Pryme Street car park is just a six-minute walk away.