Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is pleased to announce the opening of a new community diagnostic centre (CDC) in Dartford in November 2023.
Based within the grounds of the Livingstone Hospital, this facility will offer quicker access to crucial medical assessments and earlier diagnoses for the local community. This is an initial and temporary facility and, as part of the plans, it will be replaced at a later stage by a new permanent centre that is scheduled to open in 2025. The Trust will be submitting a planning application for the permanent centre in early summer 2024 and this will provide an opportunity for staff, patients and local residents to review and comment on the proposals prior to submitting the application.
Patients may have already received letters asking them to visit the new CDC in Dartford and this means offering care closer to home and no longer needing to travel to the hospital for appointments. The CDC will also free up vital diagnostic resources for emergency and acute care within Darent Valley Hospital.
The new temporary (and subsequent permanent) centre will significantly improve diagnostic capabilities within the community, resulting in shorter waiting times for vital tests and treatments. Importantly, expedited diagnostics will play a crucial role in the early detection of various medical conditions, particularly cancer, ultimately reducing the demand for more intensive care in the future.
If you have any questions or comments about the CDC, please feel free to contact Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust here:
dgn-tr.livingstonecdcprogramme@nhs.net
What are Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs)?
Community diagnostic centres are a way of providing highly efficient, quick-access diagnostic tests outside of hospital settings. They are another way to make sure we are providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time. The CDC will expand diagnostics capacity and is not designed as a walk-in care service.