Work begins on £15m redevelopment of Newmarket Community Hospital
A new diagnostic centre is set to be built - providing easier access to testing
Work on a major £15m redevelopment of Newmarket Community Hospital is now underway.
West Suffolk Council have approced plans for the new facility at the Exning Road site. It will have the capacity to deliver around 100,000 tests a year for local patients.
It will offer a range of different services, from x-rays and MRI scans to ultrasound, cardiology and blood tests.
It's one of a number of diagnostics centres being built across the UK, as part of an effort to cut NHS waiting lists and provide patients with greater certainty.
Dr Ewen Cameron, chief executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This represents a significant step in developing our Newmarket Community Hospital site and builds on our ambition to provide the care you need, closer to home.
“Having additional diagnostic capacity will ensure we can carry out your test at the earliest opportunity, provide your results more quickly and therefore, if necessary, provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”
Demolition at the existing hospital site set to begin this month, with the new facility set to be completed by spring next year.
Some hospital services will be temporarily relocated while construction takes place.