Patients in Luton are set to gain faster access to scans and tests after plans were confirmed for a new £25m Community Diagnostic Centre on the University of Bedfordshire’s Luton campus.
Work on the facility is due to begin shortly, with the centre delivered in partnership with Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Once complete, it will provide endoscopy, CT and bone density scanning under one roof in a community setting rather than at the main hospital site.
Health leaders say the move will help speed up diagnosis, cut waiting times and reduce the stress that can come with delays. By locating services closer to where people live, the centre is also expected to cut down on travel to the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
Professor Andrew Church, interim vice chancellor at the University of Bedfordshire, said the project would have a direct impact on local residents.
“Bringing this Community Diagnostic Centre onto our campus is a major step forward for local people, helping to reduce health inequalities by making vital tests and scans easier to access,” he said, adding: “By removing some of the barriers that can delay diagnosis, this centre will play an important role in improving health outcomes across our community.
“It also gives our healthcare students a unique opportunity to learn in a real clinical environment, building the skills and confidence they need to support the communities they will go on to serve.”
The centre will be built by contractor Ashe and will allow patients to receive diagnostics and follow-up care closer to home, delivered by the same clinically trained staff they would otherwise see at Luton Hospital.
As well as improving access for patients, the development will create placement and learning opportunities for the university’s healthcare students. Embedding NHS diagnostic services on campus is intended to give students hands-on clinical experience in a working healthcare environment, strengthening skills and employability while supporting the future NHS workforce in Bedfordshire.
Melanie Banks, director of redevelopment and strategic planning at Bedfordshire Hospitals, said the hub would benefit both patients and staff.
“This new community diagnostic hub is a fantastic step forward for both our patients and our staff,” she said, adding: “Bringing diagnostics and follow-up care together under one roof, closer to where people live, enables us to detect conditions earlier, reduce waiting times, and ease the anxiety that often comes with delays in diagnosis. It also significantly reduces the need for patients to travel to the main hospital site, allowing us to deliver faster, more joined-up care that truly improves outcomes.”
David Cox, General Manager for General Surgery and Gastroenterology at Bedfordshire Hospitals, said: “This is an excellent outcome for the benefit of our local population in ensuring patients have accessible diagnostic tests in the heart of our Luton Town centre. Our Endoscopy facility within the hospital estate has outgrown its environment and the CDC will help to deliver urgent diagnostic tests thus increasing our capacity within a state of the art diagnostic centre, benefitting our patients and staff.”
The project also signals closer partnership working between the university and the NHS trust, with leaders pointing to wider ambitions around education, research and long-term regional growth.
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